Tick-tock, tick-tock, tick-tock…

Right. No time for hanging around
today.

Lots to do, so let’s get organized.

First things first.

Make a list.

Now where’s my note pad. I know I left
it here somewhere.

Isn’t it amazing how things just
disappear around here?

I can’t find it. This little scrap of
paper will do.

Right, my list.

Number 1.

I must do that costing for Jenny.

Number 2.

Call John about the sales meeting.

Number 3.

Chase up Bill to see if he has that
information I asked for.

The phone rings.

Who’s that now?

“Andrew, It’s Jenny. Have you started
that costing?”

“It’s on the top of my work list” I
reply.

“I need it by tomorrow morning”

“I thought the deadline was next
Tuesday”

“No”

“Well I am sure that’s what you told
me”

“Well I need it for tomorrow morning”

“No matter”, sighing, “I have all the
figures in my head. Bye Jenny”

You put the phone down. You let out an
even a bigger sigh.

Now where was I?

Oh yes, the to-do list.

Number 3.

Chase up Bill to see if he has that
information I asked for.

Number 4.

Ring the Customer Services department –
something about complaints! What was it? Oh never mind it will come back to me.

Jim appears, next to my desk.

“You coming to this departmental
meeting, then?

“Oh no, it completely slipped my mind”

“Where’ the agenda? Do you have one,
Jim?”

“Yep”

“Oh, let me copy it on the way –
thanks”

Quick slurp of the cold coffee.

“I hope it’s a quick meeting – I have
so much to do”

3 hours later.

“What a waste of time that was”

“Why did you take on all those action
points, don’t you have enough to do already?” Jim asks.

“Well if I don’t do them, who will?”

“I can help. I have some capacity”,
says Jim

“Thanks for the offer but by the time I
have explained to you what to do, I would have completed them myself. Anyway I
must get on, see you later”

“Ok”

Quick look at the emails.

I don’t believe it. Twenty new ones to
read and deal with.

I haven’t even started the things on my
list.

Where is the list, anyway?

Work, work, work.

It’s now 19.10.

The phone rings.

“Oh, hi darling. Just about to leave
now and catch the 19.30 train. Bye, bye, got to go. Bye. Love you”

Put some papers in the briefcase – I
could read them on the train.

Turn off the pc.

You are walking out the door.

Your desk phones rings.

You look back.

Do you answer it?

Do you ignore it?

It could be your wife.

You decide to answer it.

It’s Nick from the warehouse.

“Hi Andrew. How was your holiday?”

“Good thanks. Feels like I’ve never had
one. How can I help?”

“Can you resend me those warehouse
space figures you sent me a couple of days ago?”

“What now?”

“Yeah, if you could, Peter the big
chief requires them and you would be a star”

“OK”

You turn on the pc.

You can’t find the email…you miss the train…

Any of this sound familiar?

Have you experienced similar
situations?

What do you do to get things done?