NEW YORK–You should already know the good work habits. But what about the bad?
In what author Tim Ferriss called a “not to do list,” during an Inc. podcast he offered eight suggestions of bad work habits that many entrepreneurs, office workers and even credit union employees “desperately need to eliminate.”
Here is his list:
Do Not Answer Calls from Unrecognized Numbers
According to Inc., Ferriss gives a couple of rationales for this one. First, the interruption will throw your concentration, costing you far more in time and brain power than just the conversation itself, and second, if it's important, you'll find yourself in a poor negotiating position, scrambling to formulate your thoughts when the caller is already well prepared. He recommends using Google Voice to check your messages first.
Do Not Email First Thing in the Morning or Last Thing at Night
"The former scrambles your priorities and all your plans for the day and the latter just gives you insomnia," according to Ferriss, who said "email can wait until 10am" or after you check off at least one substantive to-do list item.
Do Not Agree to Meetings or Calls With No Clear Agenda or End Time
According to Ferriss, "If the desired outcome is defined clearly... and there's an agenda listing topics--questions to cover--no meeting or call should last more than 30 minutes.”
Do Not Check Email Constantly
Batch it and check it only periodically at set times (Ferriss suggests twice a day). He compared an inbox to a “cocaine pellet dispenser” and warns against becoming an “addict.” Instead, he urges use of auto-responder tools.
Do Not Over-Communicate With Low Profit, High Maintenance Customers
"Do an 80-20 analysis of your customer base in two ways," Ferriss recommends. "Which 20% are producing 80% or more of my profit, and which 20% are consuming 80% or more of my time? Then put the loudest and least productive on auto-pilot, citing a change of company policy."
Do Not Work More to Fix Being Too Busy.
According to Ferris, the cure for being overwhelmed isn't working more, it's sitting down and prioritizing your tasks. “So, don't make the mistake of working frantically if you're swamped,” he said. “Instead, sit down and decide what actually needs doing urgently. If that means apologizing for a slightly late return call or paying a small late fee, so be it, as long as you manage to get the important things done.”
Do Not Carry a Digital Leash 24/7
Ferris recommends at everyone, at least one day a week, leave their smartphone somewhere where you can't get easy access to it.
Do Not Expect Work to Fill a Void That Non-Work Relationships and Activities Should
"Work is not all of life," Ferriss said during the podcast. “This seems obvious, but the sad truth is that while nearly everyone would agree to this in principle, it's easy to let things slide to a point where your actions and your stated values don't match up. Defend the time you have scheduled for loved ones and cool activities with the same ferocity you apply to getting to an important meeting for your business.”