Part of my goal this year is to get more organized, productive, and leave the *office* earlier and maybe actually take a vacation or two. I am reading some really good books and doing my best to implement the tips, techniques, and ideas.
One of the books, Leave the Office Earlier, by Laura Stack, MBA, CSP is a great one to help you focus on different areas of your life to reduce stress and have more of me time. One of her topics has to do with reduction and a target area is “Avoid spending time in irrelevant, unnecessary meetings.” Working from a home office does eliminate some of the in-person get-nothing-done meetings. However, there are the unnecessary gab-on-the-phone meetings you might experience and need to eliminate or reduce. We will talk about those tomorrow.
I have chosen to eliminate an irrelevant, unnecessary networking meeting. I have belonged to this women’s business group for more than 6 years and was even a board member. But lately I find these monthly meetings turning more toward social events – eat lunch, gab, and go home. A nice get-of-the-office for a couple of hours – but is it worth my time and effort?
After submitting an inquiry to one of the current board members last week and getting in reply simply a snipped response, not even a greeting or thanks or acknowledgment, I seriously starting to wonder why I went and what the benefit was to me. Then, at the meeting, I was ignored by the board member who was at the registration table. Gee, why go?
So this has to do with customer service as well as reducing my time in a meeting. When responding to an email, an inquiry, or a complaint, I encourage you to remember there is a person on the other end of your response. Be polite. Put a greeting on that email. Be professional. You may gain or keep an organizational member, a client, or a friend.
