Optimizing Workflow Gifts

'Could you put a little more effort into that 'IN' box of yours?'

'What bothers me about these meetings is even though it's work, I have the nagging feeling I ought to leave and get back to work.'

'Noticeboard? I forgot it was there to be honest.'

"Yes Sir, I'm still working on the 'ins and outs' of their proposal."

"Good" "Bad" "Work on it" "Keep working - maybe it's not as bad as you think it is" "Put it to a committee" "Give up" "Make it worse" "Make it better" "Still a bad idea" "Overthink it" "Throw yourself into a pit of wild badgers" "Throw it away" "Call it done" "Sigh."

The Department of Blind-Side Bias, Knowledge Gaps and Really Great Coffee.

'No, your guess isn't as good as mine.'

"I realize we had to liquidate some assets, but don't you think I'd be more productive if I had a desk?"

"Why won't you teach us how to handle complaints?"

"This software will cut my workload in half, so I purchased two."

Trays on desk read, 'Here', 'There' and, 'Neither here nor there.'

Please bring me a few sharpened pencils and some lucrative business.

The new contract didn't leave him much room to maneuver his hoverdesk.

Failure/Due Diligence

Fact: The average person spends 4.3 hours per week looking for things that are misplaced, misfiled or mislabeled.

'ACE Heating and cooling' 'What's Hot' 'What Not'

Your computer has every alert, alarm and reminder possible...enough with the sticky notes!!!

"JB wears many hats. He just can't delegate"

'Item 56, we need to schedule a series of meetings to discuss whether we should have meeting to look at whether we're having too many meetings.'

'This chart shows how much time we waste every day looking at charts.'

"There appears to be a direct correlation between fewer meetings and higher productivity."

'It's new from British Telecom...a telephone ignoring machine.'

'Should be home soon. I'm just clearing away the usual paperwork.'

"I was just finishing up some spring cleaning."

'This software package can cut your workload in half. Do you want to purchase two copies?'

Indecision and Outrage Trays

'I think it has reached critical mass.'

'I think I found the bottleneck, Boss.'

Production: Urgent, Rush, Super Rush.

Three work boxes: 'IN...LIMBO...OUT': 'I think I've found your bottleneck.'

'I have created the first interactive pile of paperwork.'

Empty/Full

The worker/the man who monitors the worker/the man who wrote the draft policy guidelines on how to monitor the man monitoring the worker.