We all hear the old saying that we should 'work smarter, not harder', but how many of us actually abide by this? It's easier said than done, isn't it? Experts actually say the key to working smart is to be more effective, not necessarily more efficient. Efficiency is doing the job right. Effectiveness, on the other hand, is doing the right job! Think about that! Here are my ten top tips for managing your time more effectively:

1. Figure out when you are at your peak
I know I work better from 9am to noon, so that's when I try to do my most important tasks. Figure out when you are at your prime and plan carefully around this.

2. Turn off your e-mail notifier
Do you really need the pop-up or 'ding' every few minutes? Try turning off your e-mail notifier when you need to concentrate on an important project, then you really can focus.

3. Expect the unexpected
Block out some planning time. Everyone needs some time for thinking, so try to build in some flexibility into your daily routines.

4. Say NO occasionally
Sometimes we may have to be assertive and say 'no' if something is not urgent or a priority. Saying no courteously may be seen as a strength rather than a weakness.

5. Set priorities
Categorise tasks according to priority, for example:
1 = The task is urgent and important
2 = It's important but not urgent
3 = It's not urgent but not important
4 = Its not urgent and not important

6. Stay focused in meetings
How many meetings have you attended where people go off at tangents? It helps to be clear about the agenda before meetings, and make sure everyone knows what the objectives are. This will help you stay focused and keep the discussion heading in the right direction.

7. Clear out your clutter
I know I can't work effectively if my desk is a mess with lots of paperwork everywhere. So once in a while I have a good clearing and sorting session, and I clear out the clutter on my desk, trays, drawers and files. It's amazing how much better I always feel once the clutter is gone!

8. Remember to take a break
We all tend to make more mistakes when we are tired or stressed, so learn to recognise the symptoms when you are flagging and take a break from your work. Yes Mom, I hear you... this is something I'm not so good at!

9. Don't procrastinate
Tackle what's right now in the present and don't let procrastination get in the way. It's amazing how great it feels when you can tick off those items on your to-do list!

10. Adopt a positive attitude
Keep your mindset positive. See solutions instead of problems. See positives instead of negatives. Do your tasks with a happy heart, and smile!

I've been delighted to welcome Afizah to my staff recently. Afizah has written her thoughts on metaphors in this article, which she has entitled ...

How beautiful is the colour of language?

It was the day when I received my O level results when my friends decided to paint the town red as we had passed with flying colours. I was extremely thrilled by the idea as it was a golden opportunity for me to stay out late. Only once in a blue moon would my parents allow me to stay out late with my friends and it was a perfect excuse. I was given the green light to celebrate with them that evening and I promised to be back by midnight.

At 2am, when they did not find me in my bed, they were white with rage. Little did they realise that I was fast asleep on my sofa in the living room until they switched on the lights and found my confused face gray with exhaustion, waking up and walking towards my room, still in a daze. My mother was tickled pink when she saw my expression, and my dad felt relieved that I was home safe and sound.

How colourful was my life then, and even more colourful today as I experience more emotions daily. At various times I feel green with envy, red with embarrassment, falling into a black mood or a purple passion, and when things are looking up, I feel in the pink.

Colours colour our language. These are simple and common metaphors we can use to enliven our speech daily. A metaphor (the word originally meant ìcarry beyondî) is a figure of speech that merges two objects or ideas that are, for the most part, different from each other but turn out to be alike in some significant way. We usually think of metaphors as figurative devices that only poets create but, in fact, all of us make metaphors during almost every moment of our waking lives.

Hereís a challenge for you. Could you tell me how many colour metaphors I have used in the first and second paragraphs, and the meaning of each metaphor used?
E-mail your answers to afizah@sttrainingsolutions.com and if you are the first person to send the correct answer I'll send you a special poem (via e-mail) to enjoy!

Thanks to Nicky Beh from Insfield Insurance Brokers in Malaysia for writing to point out an error in the 'P' section of my A-Z of Bloopers under 'Practice/Practise'. I've now updated this section to read:

British English makes the distinction that practice is a noun and practise is a verb. All you have to figure out is whether your word is a noun or a verb ñ but sometimes it's not that easy! I think the Americans have it right ñ they use practice whether itís a noun or a verb. Imagine how much easier that would be!

Anyway, using British English, here are some examples:

For example:

I need to practise the piano this weekend for a test next week.
If I practise hard I should do well in my exams.

The practice of kungfu is very good for developing concentration.
It is not company practice to allow staff to take leave in December.

Many thanks to Lezann Low from CAAS in Singapore for writing to me recently with this question:

"We have some confusion here about the correct term to use when informing our bosses that our colleague is attending training. Some bosses say that the term "On Course" is not the right word to use since "On Course" means going in the intended direction. Just like when we say the plane is on course. Can I check with you whether we can say, "Our colleague is on course today?". Thank you for your advice.

Thanks for writing, Lezann, and yes you are absolutely right. "On course" means exactly what you said - heading in the right direction. So it's not correct to say "Mary is on course today" or "I'm on course tomorrow". The correct expression would be "... on a course".

Check out other FAQ here, and if you have any more questions, please write to me at shirley@shirleytaylor.com.