Your Family - April 2017

WORK SMART

GET MORE OUT OF YOUR WORK DAY

If you’ve ever sent an email in anger, you’ve probably felt differently about it

after you’ve had the time to think about it. For this reason – and several more

• it makes sense to draw a boundary between work and private matters, even
  down to email addresses:

1

WORK EMAILS ARE NEVER PRIVATE Even if you delete them, they can

be retrieved. So never send anything you wouldn’t be happy for your boss

to read.

2

WATCH YOUR TONE Written communication lacks the ability to soften

a harsh word the way your tone of voice would. You need to make sure

your message is received in the spirit it is intended, so choose your words

carefully. Overusing exclamation marks or typing in caps will affect the tone

of your communication, making requests seem like orders, for example.

3

REPLY WITHIN 24 HOURS That’s generally accepted as a polite response

time. If you don’t have the time to give a request its due attention, write

a quick mail in response, giving the sender an indication of when to expect

a full response.

4

USE SPELLCHECK Take the same care as you would with any other piece

of written communication. Errors can instantly diminish your authority and

detract from your message.

5

MIND YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS Using a personal email address including

a nickname from varsity is never the best way to make a good impression.

Not everyone needs to be wondering why your chosen address is

[email protected]

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT WORK EMAIL

If you’re regularly hitting a slump at 3pm, a quick audit of your

environment might identify some surprising energy sappers!

PHOTO: FOTOLIA.COM

DitchTake time to...

CLUTTER Streamline your workspace. Keep only what you need

daily on your desk. The rest should be filed or stored out

of the way.

NOISE Create an office-friendly playlist you can listen to on

earphones. But keep the volume low enough so that you

can hear what you need to.

THE NEEDY

CO-WORKER

Limit your involvement to a five-minute catch-up on

arrival. Then make it clear you have work to do.

POOR SNACK

CHOICES

Pack energy-boosting snacks for when the munchies

strike. Raw almonds, biltong, and plain yoghurt are all

good choices.

LUNCH

IN THE CANTEEN

Take a walk around the block with a colleague. You’ll feel

more energised and alert. And let’s be honest, you ate

your lunch at 11, didn’t you?

NOT DRINKING

ENOUGH WATER

Even slight dehydration can sap your energy levels. Limit

coffee or tea to one in the morning then keep hydrated

by sipping water regularly at a rate of 200ml per hour.

MULTITASKING Doing too many things at once is stressful and

draining. Focusing on one task at a time will boost your

productivity and your energy levels.

TOP 7 WORKPLACE SWAPS

that’ll keep you energised

WORK WISE

A dream doesn’t

become reality

through magic;

it takes sweat,

determination

and hard work

• Colin Powell

Source: The Creative Group

10am until midday

is when office workers

are at their most productive.

Did you know?

APRIL 2017 31