Do you, by the end of every day, feel overwhelmed by the amount of work you had to do? Do you feel disappointed that you haven’t accomplished what you intended to do and instead wasted your time on other tasks or interruptions by your colleagues? If you answered yes, then here are 5 tips for effective management of time.
 
You only have a certain number of hours in the day, so using your time more effectively can help you achieve more in a day and meet your deadlines without stressing yourself out. It does not mean that every minute of your day should be spent working, it is about effectively planning you day to maximise your productivity. So, choose just one of the tips below and try it for 10 working days. If that does not help, pick another one.
 
Work in Your Flow
We all have times during the day where we feel on top of the world and can do anything. And at other times all we want to do is sit down and watch TV. Figuring out what times of the day you feel most energetic about working can be a huge benefit to you. It helps you feel more motivated to do your work, and you could get a lot more done in that short time ‘flow’ compared to the rest of the day. When you’re in the “flow,” you are so absorbed in a task that you lose sense of time, you feel in control and things just get done. So you could allocate that part of the day to your most important task of the day.
 
Prioritise Your Tasks
Prioritising your work can be extremely advantageous to you. By organising your jobs you will find it a lot easier to work out which tasks need completing. Knowing what needs to be done and in which order ensures you spend your time and energy on tasks that are truly important to you.
 
In order to prioritise your tasks first write them down. You don’t need to write down an entire list of everything you need to achieve, maybe just five or six of your main tasks. Once you have done this, take time to analyse which tasks you feel you have to accomplish first. Take a pen and mark them down.
 
Don’t Multitask
Multitasking is myth. If you are trying to work on many tasks at the same time you will not be able to focus on one task. As a result you will produce a mediocre result. Effective time management is not about doing many things in short time it is about doing right things. So try to focus on finishing your tasks one after the other within a reasonable time frame, following your daily to-do list and focusing on your key priorities.
 
Delegate
When you have a lot of work to do on your own you might want to think about delegating a task to someone else, so you can concentrate on more important tasks.
 
First you need to look and identify what task you want to pass on. Make sure you do not simply delegate a task which you find unpleasant, but a task which will free up your time for more important task to complete . Second, you need carefully choose a person to whom you are going to delegate a task and ensure that a person is able to complete the task.
 
Take a Time Management Course
If you struggle with managing time then take a Time Management course. You will learn different tools and techniques to effectively plan and control your workload. These techniques will not only improve your time management at work but also help you in your everyday life, so that you can achieve life-work balance.

It is extremely annoying when you want to print out a worksheet in Excel and it can’t quite fit the whole sheet on one page. So it ends up spilling a small section over onto another page and wasting paper.
 
Excel has a handy scaling feature that allows you to specify how many pages you want your print out to occupy. You set the page dimensions, and Excel can shrink everything down so it fits in the specified area:

 
1. Set up your worksheet as desired.
2. Choose Page Setup from the File menu to get the Dialog Box.
3. Make sure the Page tab is selected.
4. Select the Fit To option and specify how many pages you want the printout to use.
5. Click on OK.
6. Print your worksheet as normal.

Do you want to learn more tips? Just visit out Microsoft Excel Tips page

Working from home has become more popular in recent years. However, since working from home tends to blur the boundaries between work and personal life it can be a dream come true or a nightmare. Here are the top 7 tips for Effective Working from Home:
 

Have Your Own Work Space

It would be great if you could have a space, preferable a room in your house that you could use for working. You could organise it into a small office: put in a desk, a computer, have a telephone line and some shelves for filing. Thus you will put yourself in ‘work’ mode once you have entered the room.
 

Organise Your Work around Your Natural Schedule

When working at home you may have the luxury of making your own schedule. You might need to take your kids to school or walk the dog, so why don’t you organise your work around those activities? Make sure your boss is aware of the structure of your day in case he needs to contact you.
 

Make a To Do List

When working from home you are more likely to get distracted than when working in the office. If you are having trouble deciding what you need to do, you could lose motivation and end up drifting off your work. Making a to-do list will allow you to plan out what you need to achieve during the day, and the best time to do it. If you know what you what to achieve, it helps you keep focused and makes you feel good as you are making progress towards your objectives.
 

Keep Back Up Copies

It always a good idea to keep a copy of any files you need in case anything happens to your Internet connection and you need your files. When transferring any files it’s advisable that the data is protected, so encrypt it.
 

Keep in Contact with Colleagues

When you work from home you can sometimes feel isolated from your colleagues, therefore keep in contact with them on a regular basis. It will help you to be informed about any changes in the company, or projects you are working on. Make sure you have different technology in place, such as phone, email, instant messaging, so that if one way of communication goes down, you still can be reached.
 

Make Sure That Your Family Know You Are There to Work

There are things around the house that could potentially distract you from your work, such as doing chores or playing with your children. Have a talk with your family to let them know that even though you are at home you are unavailable to play or help at the present time.
 

Take Breaks & Don’t Overwork Yourself

If you follow the tips above, working from home will be a lot more productive, but don’t forget to take breaks every so often, go have a cup of tea or just stretch your legs. This helps you feel more motivated to carry on with the rest of the day, whereas you could give yourself a headache looking at the screen all day.
 

Once you have finished working for the day you can now sit back and relax. But if you cannot stop thinking about a task you need to do, or a new idea you have then the best thing to do is make a note of it and come back tomorrow. Don’t start working again, enjoy being home.
 

Check out our Time Management Articles for more information about managing your time.

When you have a task that occurs at the same time every week e.g. staff meeting, you can set a recurring task schedule in Microsoft Project. So the task has already been set, which saves you having to keep remembering it and writing it into your schedule:

 
1. Select Insert – Recurring Task
2. The Recurring Task Information Dialogue Box appears
3. Insert the Task Name, Duration, Recurrence Pattern, and Start Date and then assign any relevant calendar for the task.
4. Press Ok

 

Interested in learning more? Then visit our Microsoft Project Tips page.

When an apprentice first starts a new job it can be a bit uneasy for them, as they have to learn a new job, adjust to an environment and meet people they are unfamiliar with. This could be hard for them as it is probably their first job. By following a few steps the company can help them get settled into the business and improve speed at which they develop to reach their full potential. Here are some tips that the manager could use to build a foundation for a successful, productive career of an apprenticeship:
 
Make the First Day Enjoyable

This is the day where they are taking a new step into their lives, so make their first day enjoyable and celebrate it. Let them know that you are glad they are working for you; this makes them feel welcomed.
 

Introduce them to the Process

Go through any procedures that you have in your business with them. It may include health and safety policies, fire safety procedures and assemble point in case of fire. You can also inform them about the dress code, show the location of the bathroom and the kitchen, discuss terms and conditions of employment and holiday entitlements.
 

Introduce them to the New Job

If you have not sent them their full job description in advance, then you can now give them a copy listing the tasks involved and their responsibilities, so they can become more familiar with them. Also inform them about any training they might need. It is also an opportunity to talk about the employee’s performance targets so they can understand what they need to achieve.
 
If they work in the office give them an overview of your internal filing system. And try not to explain it all at once because that might be a bit overwhelming for them to take in.
 

Introduce Them to Other People in the Company

Any new employee isn’t likely to know anyone else in the company therefore introduce him/her to their new colleagues. But try to introduce them on different days, so they have a chance to remember them better.
 

Be Prepared

Prepare your new employees work area and company account details such as login information or a work email address. It will help them to settle into their new job and make them feel part of the company. You can also provide them with contact details for other employees such as email addresses or phone numbers in case an apprentice needs to contact them.
 

If your company uses equipment or tools that the apprentice hasn’t likely used before, you could put together an information booklet or folder that summarises how to use it. This will help them refer to the booklet, instead of having to ask another member of staff
 

Be Patient with Them

An apprentice will not probably be skillful; therefore you will need to provide a number of training sessions over a few weeks. Be patient as people learn in different ways and at different paces. If they are doing something wrong advise them on how they could improve it, so that they leave training sessions with the skills and knowledge he or she came to acquire.
 

Get Feedback

Check on the apprentice throughout the day and get his/her feedback to see how they are getting on and how they feel about working there. You can use their feedback to improve your induction process overall, which even further will make them feel involved.
 
In Conclusion

With these tips you can make the apprentice integration in your company a lot more enjoyable and less nerve-racking for them. This open, comfortable and constructive type of relationship with your apprentice from day one will pay dividends in the future.

When you create a new message in Outlook it just uses a plain white background, with Outlook 2007 you can change your background to have colours, or you can import an image from your files.

 
1. Open up a new message
2. Click on Options
3. Page Colour
4. Fill Effects
5. Click on the Picture tab then insert a picture from your documents to use as the background.
6. If you choose the Gradient tab you can just use colours

 
Interested in learning more? Have a look at our Microsoft Outlook Courses

If you wish to use a particular font for all the information in your table, you can change the default font in Access 2007 so that whenever you create a new database your preferred font is automatically set.
 

To change the default font:
 
1. Click on the Microsoft Button.

2. Click Access Options.

3. Click on the Datasheet tab:

4. In the Default Font section select your preferred font e.g. Times New Roman.

5. Select your preferred size e.g. 12.

6. Click OK.
 
Then click on the Object Designers Tab:
 
1.In the Query Design Font Section select your preferred font e.g. Times New Roman.

2. Select your preferred size from the size menu e.g. 12.

3. Click OK.
 
The default font for Access has now been changed.
 
Check out our Microsoft Access Tips page for more useful tips