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Baker Communications Inc.
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JANUARY 2008   |   Issue #30
In This Issue

Featured Article:
The Great To-Do Riddle

Tip of the Month:
Email: Time Saver or Time Waster?

Upcoming Seminars

Email: Time Saver or Time Waster?

We all rely on email. It is great for dispensing simple directions, asking or answering uncomplicated questions, and providing a general notice of important events. But it can become a time bandit if you arent careful. Here are some quick tips to keep email from overwhelming your schedule:

Dont constantly check and respond to email during the day. It will distract you from high value projects and consume precious time needed for other important tasks. Set aside specific times for reading and responding to email once in the morning and once in afternoon and treat it like any other scheduled project

Limit your answers to the topic at hand. Chit-chat and bunny paths wastes your time and theirs.

Whenever possible, fit your message into the subject line. You will spend less time composing a message, and your addressee will be able to read and respond more quickly.

Upcoming Seminars

Seattle, WA
  Feb 12-13
New York City, NY
 
Feb 20-21
Denver, CO
 
Feb 21-22
Dallas, TX
  Feb 27-28
 
Chicago, IL
  Feb 7-8
Denver, CO
  Feb 11-12
San Diego, CA
  Feb 12-13
Houston, TX
  Feb 25-26

Houston, TX
  Feb 21-22
Atlanta, GA
  Mar 4-5
Dallas, TX
  Mar 6-7
New York City, NY
 
Apr 3-4

San Diego, CA
  Feb 11
Phoenix, AZ
  Feb 29
Washington, DC
  Mar 7
Chicago, IL
 
Mar 10

Boston, MA
  Feb 11-12
San Francisco, CA
 
Feb 21-22
Detroit, MI
  Feb 25-26
Phoenix, AZ
  Feb 27-28

 

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The Great To-Do Riddle

By James A Baker Chairman Baker Communications January 2008

Question: When is a to-do not a to-do? Answer: When it is ta done! Okay, I admit that it is aterrible riddle, but it is an important question. Everyone, including me, teaches that one of the most important things you can do to achieve more efficient use of your time is to start making daily weekly monthly to-do lists. A to-do list helps you get a clearer picture of exactly what is on your plate, and helps you set priorities so that you can spend most of your time pursuing the high-value items on your list. However, making a to-do list is not the same as getting those to-dos done. A to-do list can end up being just one more guilt-inducing reminder that you are a failure when it comes to time management, unless you also have a strategy for accomplishing those things you say you want to do. What is the real answer to the great to-do riddle? There are two simple steps to follow to change to-dos into ta-dones.

First of all, rigorously cull your to-do list and get it down to something that will conform to the known parameters of the space-time continuum. We complain constantly about the fact that we have too much to do, and most of the time we are right. Face it: you cant do everything. Set goals, define high value priorities, learn to say no, or delegate everything except your most important (not necessarily your most urgent) tasks. Once you have narrowed your to-do list down to those most valuable activities, you are halfway done. However, halfway done is still the same as mostly NOT done. There is still one more vitally important step to take.

If you really intend to accomplish the goals and complete the tasks that you have identified as being very important, get out your planner or a calendar and schedule a block of time that you will devote exclusively to working on each one. From a certain point of view, your to-do list is only wishful thinking; it is a statement of what you would like to do. By reserving time in your schedule to devote exclusively to this task, you are now positioned to begin actually DOING it!

For the full article, click here

Business In The Eye Of The Storm

Listen to our President, Walter Rogers' interview on The Discovery Channel's Business In The Eye Of The Storm

Click Here

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Questions or Comments? Please email Christie Bissias or Call 713-627-7700

The articles in this newsletter may be reprinted in its entirety if the following conditions are met:

1.) The complete tag with the author's name and contact information is included immediately after the article.
2.) A copy of the printed article is mailed to the author at 10101 SW Freeway Houston, Texas 77074 within 30 days of publication.
3.) The article is presented in a positive light as part of an appropriate business related publication.
2008 Baker Communications, Inc.
Baker Communications Inc.
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