Just wondering how other people handle them, I'm not that good if I'm honest.
Typical example today, I had set a target of 1pm to finish a job and everything was going great guns and then had 3 or 4 phone calls with small queries and the concentration just went. Decided to make myself some lunch and have a browse on the interweb and before I know it I've lost a couple of hours. For some reason I can't multitask (maybe thats a man thing though lol)
-- Edited by Leger on Monday 20th of February 2017 10:39:23 PM
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John
Any advice given is for general guidance and professional advice should be sought applicable to your circumstances.
Think this is one of the joys of working on your own. I have days like that too. Sometimes a whole morning has gone with phone calls and emails and you sit back and wonder what you've been doing.
This is one of my targets this year to try and better manage this. The emails are easy to address, but the phone calls are another thing.
Any ideas, greatly welcomed.
Debbie
I must make about 15 brews a day. When Im really busy I even think about doing the ironing (and I hate ironing!).
I always do a list of what I need to/want to do during the day (even if its only in my head) - never ever achieve it as I think I can do more than I really can. Must admit I work much better to a deadline and can work solidly for hours on end without looking up once then.
Get my 'woman on a mission' days and then others where I wonder what the hell I have done (or not done) all day.
I do get lots of calls and emails, but Im now not answering them all straight away unless they are obviously urgent. The more you do answer immediately the bigger the rod you make for your own back. I even get messages at weekends, which mostly I manage with a holding response - your request will be dealt with on Monday/when Im back in the office. I have found that most people are ok with this - the only reason they really sent you the message when they did was to get it out of their head/off their to do list.
Plus Ive learnt not to book meetings on a Monday as everyone and his dog seem to want to get hold of me then due to some crisis that occured at weekend (which is often not a crisis at all!), but at least that way I can deal with them all so they arent taking up head space and I can try to clear the decks for the rest of the week.
Set yourself an alarm if you are wandering/interwebbing - 10 minutes max, on repeat - that going off in the background several times is really annoying and makes you realise how much time you can waste.
Oh heck - just spent too long on here, must get on! Ok - one more to answer then I will get on!
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Joanne
Winner of Bookkeeper of the Year 2015, 2016 & 2017
Thoughts are my own/not to be regarded as official advice,which should be sought from a suitably qualified Accountant.
You should check out answers with reference to the legal position
I like the alarm idea, will have a bash at that. I've tried the list thingy before but got out of the habit because half the stuff wasn't getting done, think I need to pick that back up and allocate time guides as well, then reward myself cake if successful, now there's an incentive!!!
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John
Any advice given is for general guidance and professional advice should be sought applicable to your circumstances.
I need some serious cake making practice as the last couple of attempts have been pretty dismal because Ive not been focussing on the bakes properly. (a certain poor man threw them in the bin when I wasnt looking methinks!) In fact its that long since I did any that the flour is now out of date!
Distractions - must go shopping, fish out those baking trays and BAKE!
Oh heck - Ive just got a VAT return, a CT return and a payroll to do that are on (self imposed) time limits, first.
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Joanne
Winner of Bookkeeper of the Year 2015, 2016 & 2017
Thoughts are my own/not to be regarded as official advice,which should be sought from a suitably qualified Accountant.
You should check out answers with reference to the legal position
I can see that joining this forum is going to be a distraction (but a nice one), I just got in and was just about to start working when I thought I would check the forum out and done no work at all, and now its time for lunch.
Cheers
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Doug
These are only my opinions of how I see things and therefore should not be taken as advice
I need some serious cake making practice as the last couple of attempts have been pretty dismal because Ive not been focussing on the bakes properly. (a certain poor man threw them in the bin when I wasnt looking methinks!) In fact its that long since I did any that the flour is now out of date!
Distractions - must go shopping, fish out those baking trays and BAKE!
Oh heck - Ive just got a VAT return, a CT return and a payroll to do that are on (self imposed) time limits, first.
Always happy to be a voluntary cake eater, you know that Now that's a distraction I don't mind!
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John
Any advice given is for general guidance and professional advice should be sought applicable to your circumstances.
Interruptions and distractions can significantly impact on you productivity.
Even a minor interruption can have a big effect as it can take you 10 - 15 mins to get back up to speed with what you were doing.
My recommendations are the following
1. Get your receptionist to take messages of all calls and return them at your choosing (personally I do just after lunch and last hour of the day). If you dont have a receptionist then get a virtual reception service.
2. For emails they are easy. Dont turn them on. Just look at them a couple of times a day and answer anything important and anything not important schedule to reply as appropriate (I use followupthen.com to remind me of when to deal with emails and use it all the time - great little piece of software). Again would recommend looking at emails just after lunch and last hour of day. With the way technology is nowadays people think there is something wrong if you dont reply to an email within the hour. I never do this now and generally reply to emails after a couple of days now unless it is important.
3. Dont surf the net during work hours. Leave that for lunchtime.
4. If you have staff make it clear the times you dont want to be disturbed. My most productive times are usually in the morning so my staff arent to interrupt me for any reason other than the building being on fire!!!!
If you follow the above you will have a much more productive working day.
Ok - one more to answer then I will get on! 
has gone off my buns. 
Cake deliveries to the Legerman then.
