Here are our 5 top tips for managing stress and productivity in the office:
We use these elements to help us with the prioritisation of our workloads.
Rocks – Priority 1
This includes the most important tasks in your role. These must be done on the day they are due. If the tasks are Ad Hoc, then they must be planned first.
Pebbles – Priority 2
These are tasks that must be done, but not necessarily on the due date. They are important for us to run efficiently.
Sand – Priority 3
If these tasks are not done for a week or a month, then there would be no consequences. They are gap fillers when the Rocks and Pebbles tasks are planned.
Water – Priority 4
These are jobs that come and go and may have different priorities.
The 4 D’s is a little system we use to help us prioritise our email inbox and other communication channels, such as Skype.
Delete – Delete the rubbish
Do – Do the quick little emails / urgent ones
Delegate – Delegate to someone else
Delay – Delay emails that need that bit extra time. Put them on a task list to prioritise them.
Whenever we are given new tasks, we use R.A.C.I as a way of making sure we know who is Responsible and Accountable for the task, and who we need to Consult and Inform. To make sure we stick to this, we only assign one person to each task on Teamwork. So, if we are waiting on someone, we are still responsible for getting the task done. It is then our priority to chase who we are waiting on, and ensure the task is completed.
As part of our workday, we hold regular Question Time, which is an important part of the day. To save interrupting everyone whilst they are hard at work, we structure our question times breaks to then avoid doing do so, and to ask any questions we may have.
In 2017, we introduced a flagging system to help us stop interrupting each other and to the help with our productivity.
A green flags means we are available to asked questions and to help.
Whilst a red flag means we are not to be interrupted.
As we work in an open office, it is so easy to let ourselves feel stressed when under pressure. As a way of combating this, we found that it is important to have a fun, relaxed environment! Whilst we still get the work done, it’s so beneficial to make time for a 5 minute break now and again to help reduce stress.