114 Proved Plans to Save a Busy Man Time 51 - 80
PLAN 51
SIMPLE, BUT IT HELPS ONE MAN A
“GREAT DEAL”
No doubt you will find it difficult to see why a plan like
this couldn’t be used to advantage by nearly every business
man. It has been tested out, which makes it all the more
valuable.
“I proportion my time as definitely as possible,” says one purchasing agent. “A specific hour to transact each bind of business helps me a great deal, I find.
“I spend from 8 to 8:30 reading reports on the market and general business conditions; 8:30 to 9:30 reviewing mail and placing it in line for the attention of the proper persons; 9:30 to 10:30 dictating; 10:30 to 11:30 approving and placing requisitions received in the morning mail; 11:30 to 12 handling miscellaneous matters, including interviewing of salesmen; 1 to 1:30 approving requisitions received in the noon mail; 1:30 to 4handling miscellaneous matters, including the interviewing of salesmen; 4 to 4:30 approving invoices; 4:30 to 5:30 signing correspondence, orders, tracers, and similar routine matters.”
PLAN 52
THIS PLAN PLUGGED A LEAK WHICH CAN
BE FOUND IN MANY OFFICES
We’ll all agree that time worth $10 an hour is usually
wasted if spent on work a $20-a-week employee can do as
well—or better. This happens right along in many
offices, however, and this plan was successfully used in
one office to cut out the resulting waste.
“When I first came to this concern,” says an eastern man, “I had to rebuild my job from the foundation up. If I had followed the precedent set for me I still would be just as swamped by detail as I was in the first week.
” The big problem was to find time for my real work of managing. The details, of course, had to be handled by somebody, so it was simply a case of finding someone else to handle them. Under my predecessor, the department had been a one-man affair.
“I instituted periodic talks to my department employees, some by outside experts. Each individual’s work was taken up and discussed and the employees were instructed in the purpose of graphs and charts in supervision. Photographs helped to demonstrate in a forceful way the advantages of certain routine processes used in other offices, as compared to the old, ineffective methods we were gradually discarding.
“In an unusually short time I had an educated department, a group of people who understood the routine better than I did. Immediately and almost automatically—I don’t think I ever issued an order to the effect—the detail work stopped coming to me, and I had a maximum of time for giving my attention to the larger phases of sales work which required attention.
PLAN 53
THIS PLAN CAN EASILY SAVE ITS COST
THE FIRST TIME IT’S USED
Do you want your conferences to grip your men’s interest
from start to finish? If so you’ll recognize the value of
this plan right away and no doubt you may be able to
adapt it to your work.
“How to speed up our weekly conferences was a real problem,” says a sales manager, “until we conceived the idea of distributing, two days before the conference, copies of a synopsis of the subjects to be discussed at the conference.
“We recognized the value of the personal touch in these meetings, but far too much time was being wasted through failure to stick to a definite program. Conferences usually develop diverse views. Mental processes vary with the individual. Some men think quickly; others grasp subjects slowly, approach discussions cautiously, and scarcely develop interest until near the end of the meeting. The opinions of these men are valuable, but rather than humor their mental attitude, it seemed best to make them do at least their preliminary thinking beforehand.
“The results were all we hoped for. Our men meet together each Saturday. On Thursday morning each man receives a letter outlining the subjects to be taken up at the conference. We meet at 10:30 and now usually are through in an hour. This is in contrast with former meetings which usually occupied the whole forenoon and often carried over into the afternoon. Even then, sometimes, we did not entirely finish.”
PLAN 54
THIS INGENIOUS PLAN SAVED TIME AND
PATIENCE ALSO
The three simple ideas in (his plan may suggest ways in
which you can avoid some of those “little delays” that
individually take but a small amount of time, but which
use up a good deal in the aggregate.
An eastern business man who uses a roll top desk by a bit of ingenuity overcame some of the annoying delays experienced in fumbling for envelops and papers in the pigeonholes.
He had blocks of wood inserted in those pigeonholes which were too deep. The blocks are sawed diagonally for one face, so that each envelop protrudes slightly beyond the next. He now has no difficulty or annoyance in getting one quickly.
This same man has many papers to sign in the course of his day’s work. He was, for a time, the victim of occasional delays due to his pen going dry. To prevent this, he now keeps a supply of fountain pens constantly in front of him. The pen caps fit tightly into holes bored in a piece of wood which is fastened conveniently over the two center pigeonholes. By means of this simple device the points are kept clean and there is no mess
from leakage. One of the daily tasks of the office boy is to see that all pens are full.
PLAN 55
A PLAN WHICH SAVES YOU TIME AND
THE CALLER’S, TOO
Usually the busier you are, the more people wan’ to see
you, and it is often a problem to hear everything important
that a visitor has to say, and then get him out of the office
quickly without giving him offense. Here’s the way one
executive does it.
“I have an engagement this morning at 10, which gives me 15 minutes now. I will be back at 1:30 and will then have a half hour before 2 o’clock, when I have another engagement. If 15 minutes will do, I wish you would come in now; if it will take longer suppose you come around this afternoon.”
By a simple and straightforward statement like this a traction executive saves much of his own time and hurts nobody’s feelings. No visitor expects to trespass upon an important board meeting, so no offense can be taken.
He excuses himself from callers by a buzzer system. At the end of the time allotted for the interview the buzzer rings, the traction man rises, excuses himself, and the caller usually leaves without further ado.
If another man comes to see this executive while he is talking with a visitor, and the secretary knows that his superior wants to see the second caller, a prearranged buzzer signal notifies the executive of this fact. If his visitor is slow to leave he presses a secret button which signals his secretary to interrupt the conversation to tell him that he is wanted in some other part of the office.
PLAN 56
THE “OFFICE TRUNK” PLAN
You may never travel and an office trunk may be the last
time saver you will ever need in your business, but that
doesn’t get around the fact that the underlying principles
of never allowing your work to pile up on you is as appli-
cable to your business as it is to that of the man who
originated this plan.
Here is a man who has all the conveniences of his office, even while he is “on the road.” Correspondence and other routine duties have no chance to accumulate, for they are handled as they come up. All the facilities are ready and at hand in the “office trunk” which this man has had especially built for him.
The following is a list of the articles the trunk is designed to hold:
1 typewriter.
1 portfolio with all sample forms and bulletins
required for presenting the product to any prospect.
1 four-drawer steel card index (3 by 5 inches)
for prospects and users. Capacity about 4,000 cards.
4 pocket rating-books.
1 complete sample machine.
2 sample drawers.
1 house-organ binder with house organs.
1 sales and commission ledger.
1 letter portfolio for correspondence.
Several sales manuals and bulletin books.
Advertising and stationery.
The trunk, which is illustrated in Figure 11, is made of three-ply veneer covered inside and out with fiber and strongly reinforced with iron corners and small angles. The partitions are made of veneer and covered with thin brass at the front. The trunk dimensions are 24 by 20 by 18 inches. The weight, empty, is about 80 pounds; filled to capacity, about 170 pounds.
The principal advantages of the trunk, says the man who uses it, are:
“1. I have complete office facilities with me at all times.
“2. My prospect files are always up to date and I have all my correspondence records with me.
“3. I can keep up my records while on the road at a substantial saving of time. Otherwise I would have to work a couple of days at the conclusion of each trip to catch up.
“4. I have all facilities for handling any sale that may arise. I have a complete sales kit, latest bulletins for special cases, a typewriter for reports, correspondence, and for writing quotations or proposals. I have tools for repairs, rating books for credit, house organs for ginger, and a profitable occupation for a lonesome night in a dull town.”
PLAN 57
45 MINUTES A DAY IS THE TIME-SAVING
RECORD OF THIS PLAN
A Columbus, Ohio, business man was “at sea.” His cor-
respondence methods were losing business because he
couldn’t get letters out on time. So he did some analyzing
and developed the following plan which has eliminated
worry and enabled him to dispose of his mail in one read-
ing.
“I was always behind time in answering important letters,” states a Columbus, Ohio, business man, “be- cause I tried to handle all the correspondence myself. While busy on non-essentials I was delaying dictation and that meant loss of business.
“After worrying several months I saw where I was ‘lame’ and worked out a plan which enables me to dispose of practically all letters in one reading, saving me at least 45 minutes every day. The extra time I am able to devote profitably to the larger problems of my business.
“I now have a definite schedule for handling correspondence the first thing in the morning. Here it is:
1. Look over the mail
2. Pass on to subordinates all letters not requiring my attention
3. Have looked up information on correspondence re-requiring my attention
4. Write customers and others as required
“I save time with this desk procedure even in the most ordinary transactions. For instance, a customer calls up on the telephone and asks for a verbal summary of an estimate on a prospective job. It may be that he has mislaid the written estimate, or perhaps it has passed into the hands of some assistant who is out for the day. Ordinarily it would have taken me, possibly, several minutes to gather this data. In the meantime my work would have slipped behind and the customer would have become disgusted. But with my modern desk methods, I keep the wire open just a moment, turn to my card index and then to my desk file, get the carbon of the estimate blank, and give him the information on the spot, and give it to him accurately.”
PLAN 58
THIS PLAN SAVES ITS ORIGINATOR FOUR
HOURS A DAY
You probably dislike details as heartily as the next man.
They annoy, they never stop, they steal time which as a
ride would be better employed if devoted to other work.
A business man here tells how he lessened his “detail
load.”
One executive keeps nothing on his desk or inside it except his inkstand, pen, and such documents as are under his consideration at the moment. His stenographer has the card index system and is within instant reach of the desk cabinet file. The stenographer also keeps an hourly tickler of appointments and important business, and sees that the executive is kept informed. A year ago this executive’s desk was literally buried by papers of every description. He was a slave to detail.
“The difference,” says this business man, “expressed in time, is this: I now accomplish in an average of two hours or less what formerly took me about six or eight hours every day. Now I have plenty of time for thinking about the big questions of the business.
“Of course the fundamental explanation of these altered circumstances is the development of competent assistants to do what I had to do before.”
PLAN 59
THE “OFFICE DIRECTORY” PLAN
Here’s a plan with a “Who’s Who” angle to it that can
be applied in almost any business. As a time saver the
evidence is all in its favor, and the chances are, too, that
it will suggest an idea or two to you.
“In our office,” says an eastern business man, “there are several men whose time is much in demand by salesmen and outsiders in general. A good deal of that time was being wasted in preliminaries such as introductions and so on.
“We overcame this loss by posting conspicuously in the office and plant notices which read in part as follows:
INFORMATION
Our correct name is the A. P. HYATT MANUFACTUR-
ING COMPANY.
Our mail address is Norman and Lawrence Streets, EAST
ORANGE, NEW JERSEY.
Our shipping address is in all cases to be taken from our
purchase order form.
Our telephone number is ORANGE 6000.
The officers are as follows: D. F. O’BRIEN, President;
M. G. PERKINS, Vice-President; T. F. HALPIN, Secretary;
P. A. HYATT, Treasurer. All of the officers, except Mr.
Perkins, are located at this plant.
Mr. O’Brien can be seen, if an interview has been ar-
ranged, any day, except Saturday, between 10 o’clock and 4
o’clock.
Mr. Halpin has charge of sales, advertising, office employ-
ment, prices on supplies and specialties in our water works
line. He can usually be seen on Tuesdays, Wednesdays,
Thursdays, and Fridays, from 1:30 o’clock to 4:30 o’clock.
Mr. Hyatt has charge of buying, charity and other dona-
tions, prices on brass and iron castings, and machine work
and factory privileges. He can be seen usually on Mondays,
Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, from 10 o’clock to 12:30
o’clock and from 2 o’clock to 4:30 o’clock.
In order to SAVE YOUR TIME and ours, it is best, in
all cases, to arrange an’interview in advance. Please give
the boy at the window full information; you will save time
by it, as he has orders that he must obey. He will furnish
you with a card marked APPLICATION FOR AN INTER-
VIEW, if you desire it.
VISITORS must have a pass, properly signed by an
officer, before admission to the factory will be granted.
APPLICANTS FOR EMPLOYMENT must fill out an
application card. Ask the boy for one.
We will appreciate it if you will report to us any dis-
courtesy on the part of any of our clerks toward you. Their
instructions are to help you as much as possible.
We have street directories, maps, and guides, and will be
pleased to loan them to you on request. We have many
trade papers. If you must wait, as unfortunately you will
will have to, at times, ask for one, so that your time will not
be wasted.
We thank the SALESMEN who visit us for the informa-
tion and many new and good ideas they have brought to us.
“You’ll notice several important features about this plan,” he continues. “It is definite, it furnishes the information that any visitor desires, and it is courteous. There is no excuse for a caller getting in touch with the wrong man.”
PLAN 60
A PLAN THAT FINDS OUT QUICKLY
“HOW WE STAND”
Here a man tells how he sates hours of time. The idea
is not brand new, perhaps, but the use he makes of it will
no doubt open up new channels to use for saving time.
“A definite plan of receiving daily reports from the routine departments of our business has been one of my best time-saving helps,” says the head of a Kansas firm. “I formerly spent much time going here and there throughout the office, asking this or that question, to find out ‘how we stood’ at any certain period. This took up the hours of the morning best suited to work on the larger duties of my position.
“I realized I was constantly running behind on my ‘before-noon schedule,’ and adopted a new method. I now have the daily reports, as indicated in Figure 72, placed on my desk as early as possible each morning and I go over them at once.
“These six slips may seem like a formidable array of figures and facts to look over every day, but such is not the case. Each report is so arranged that I can glimpse totals quickly. Often I scarcely more than glance at each slip, but they are at hand if I want them. In this way I have at my instant command the statistics, both financial and clerical, of every department of the business. The fact that these reports come to me is sufficient to spur every worker to his best efforts, it has been my experience thus far.
“I gain hours for my desk duties by this plan and still know what is going on. The reports are filed in consecutive order for 30 days and kept easily available until the monthly recapitulations have been checked. After that they are filed in the general file.”
PLAN 61
A PLAN WHICH REDUCED TEN HOURS TO SIX
Quite a jump, isn’t it—a gain of four hours? Yet it
wasn’t such a difficult task with the aid of the “dead-
line” railing, the handful of letters, and the “chair-less”
interview.
A ten-hour day reduced to six is the net result of a plan for handling callers put into practice by an executive located in the West.
No caller is admitted directly to his office. The information clerk meets the visitor, learns his name and business, or secures his card and says: “I will see if Mr. Booth is disengaged.”
Sometimes the president sends back word he cannot see the man. If he is in doubt as to what the caller wishes to discuss, or if he knows it will not require much time, he leaves his office and meets the visitor outside the ” dead- line ” railing; usually with some papers in his hand. No warning is needed to impress the caller that he is interrupting a busy man.
Should the business require a little private discussion, the executive invites the caller inside the railing of the outer office, usually with some such remark as “Come inside a minute or two.” Here the proposal is discussed; and as the president is being kept out of his office and away from his work, it is easy for him to end the interview by saying he must get back to his desk.
” A handy extra chair is the worst device in the world to invite and hold a caller,” this president says. He keeps “guest chairs” just outside his office door. Should a visitor get inside the private office he has no place to sit down. “Once a man lands in a chair, it’s practically impossible to get him out without dynamiting him, until he has told the whole story,” explains the executive.
“Where the visitor gets inside the private office, the president leads him out by going outside himself. Here the “You’re-holding-me-away-from-my-work” impression is given, and the executive can cut the interview easily and without offending.
Where the caller is especially welcome or much time is required, “guest chairs” are brought in by the office boy. This method is tactful and handles effectively both the outsider whose call is for a worth-while purpose, and the man for whom a minute of the president’s time will suffice.
PLAN 62
A PLAN FOR GETTING FACTS WITHOUT
LEAVING YOUR DESK
You may already use an adaptation of it. because the man
who originated it has told a lot of people about it. and news
of good time-saving plans travels fact. But that only
goes to show how good he considers the plan and why it is
included here.
A two-drawer letter filing cabinet at the right of his desk is the groundwork of a Chicago business man’s plan for saving time. He has found it exceptionally practical in taking care of his personal tasks. Without leaving his desk or rising from his chair he has instant access to his important collection of letters, clippings, and reports.
This handy cabinet enables him to avoid delays and the possibility of errors that result when papers of a more or less personal nature are kept in the general files. The drawers are equipped with folders numbered from 1 to 60, each of which contains papers classified according to specified subjects. The” key” to these folders appears on typewritten sheets of paper placed under the glass top of his desk.
When he desires information, say, about foreign advertising agencies, he turns to his key and finds that all his data on the subject are filed in folder number 7, and he has what he wants on his desk in a moment If he seeks an anecdote about business for a speech which he is to make, he quickly notes that his favorite anecdotes and pertinent paragraphs are kept in folder number 45. In like manner he has classified all clippings or penciled memoranda that bear upon any of his various interests; it takes but a moment to file them away and they are instantly available when needed.
This man finds that his file is flexible, and readily adaptable to his peculiar needs. He has described it to a number of his friends—manufacturers and retailers—who have put it into use. Each individual, of course, makes his own classifications according to his requirements.
PLAN 63
A FEW MINUTES’ WORK NOW—HOURS
SAVED LATER
Here are two plans in one. Both indicate the value of
preparing for a business “drive” in advance. It’s pretty
nearly a certainty that they’ll at least suggest a time-
saving idea to you.
A “seller of service” in the Middle West saves both his own and his salesmen’s time by keeping on file at his office, rough plans of each proposition on his lists. Little expense attaches to these layouts, for he or one of the men quickly sketches them on chart paper.
When a prospect inquires for a certain proposition the agent shows him the plans to correspond. As each prospect usually has a certain arrangement in mind as most desirable, these plans enable him to choose the one or two possibilities that suit his fancy. All the other plans can then be discarded. Thus fewer trips to show propositions at first hand are necessary and hours are gained in handling the business.
Another man who spends almost no time in his office, conserves his hours by using a written schedule. Each evening he lists the tasks he should accomplish the next day, and then arranges them in the order of importance and convenience. This takes perhaps 10 minutes. He sets down no definite hours except for appointments and aims to make as few hard and fast engagements as possible.
With this schedule he fares forth on his day’s work. He makes most of his deals on the outside and, although adhering as closely as possible to his schedule, he never hesitates to disregard it if he thereby gains some advantage. A daily time sheet like this often succeeds in regulating activities in lines of business where such regulation is generally regarded as next to impossible.
PLAN 64
THIS PLAN PROVES THAT THE OTHER MAN’S
METHOD OFTEN FITS
The idea back of the cash register is said to have come
from a device for recording the revolutions of a ship’s
engines. That goes to indicate that ideas can be trans-
ferred from one field to another. And this plan offers you
still another indication.
“A simple idea for arranging desks, which I picked up while looking through a newspaper office and put into use, has resulted in considerable time economy for me,” relates a manager. “The plan is this: Instead of having men scattered about the office as formerly, I now have their desks arranged nearer together in ‘U’ shape, with my desk at the open end of the ‘U’ facing the others. This arrangement is patterned after the
desk line-up in the city editor’s room.
“The plan especially appealed to me for I have a number of assistants and find it necessary to inspect their work frequently as well as to confer with them.
Under the old method, I had to leave my desk many times a day to see how office tasks were going. Also, if I wanted quickly to take up some item with an assistant, I was compelled to wait till he reached my desk. All these minutes of delay meant time more or less wasted. Now I am near enough to each worker so that it takes but a moment to step to any desk to look over accounts or other papers or books too bulky to carry around conveniently.
“In case I want to ask any of the men a question, I do not have to hold up the subject in hand till he arrives at my desk. I simply call over to him without raising my voice. Thus the information is at once forth- coming and I can go right along with my work. If I wish to present some important phase of the business to all the force, we are able to go into conference without loss of time. This ‘ U’ arrangement so far as I have been able to discover has no drawbacks.
PLAN 65
‘THIS PLAN HAS SAVED ME HUNDREDS
OF HOURS”
A Pacific Coast man is most enthusiastic about this plan
of his and considering the results secured, he has cause to
be. Even though you may not be so busy in just the same
direction, you will nevertheless be interested in his “10-
reason” time surer.
“”When I tell you that I confer with more than 1,000 solicitors a year, or an average of more than three a day, you’ll see why it is that I must have a definite plan for handling this feature of my work,” states a Pacific Coast manager. ” It took some months to hit on a satisfactory solution, but I am now able to conserve my minutes and finish each day’s tasks without wearisome overtime. And yet I see just as many salesman as before.
” Each solicitor, as he enters the office, is received by a stenographer, who hands him a definite form to fill out. On it are spaces for all the information I require—name, commodity handled, and other details. There are additional blank lines for the use of the salesman in entering 10 reasons why I should use what he has to offer. “When he comes to my desk I ask him first to read these 10 reasons, and then to amplify them by further remarks.
“The plan has saved me hundreds of hours, for it has automatically developed in each salesman the ability to present a short, definite, and exact outline of what he intends to say. Formerly his natural tendency was to keep on talking until he got the contract. Even now, of course, the solicitor who reads the 10 reasons he has just written may add a little to each reason, but when he has finished the list he stops. That is my cue to ask for his information blank and tell him I will mail him my decision to reach him within a week. In this way the inter- view is over quickly, we part on friendly terms, and I can make my decision carefully and at my leisure.”
PLAN 66
IT WOULD BE HARD TO IMPROVE THIS
PLAN’S RESULTS
This plan keeps a busy man’s desk free from details and
his mind clear for big problems. What more could one ask?
The private office of an engineer who handles many important construction jobs is an example to those in search of time-saving opportunities. His double flat top desk is covered with plate glass, under which are progress charts and maps of the work. The charts are brought up to date once a week by an assistant. Nothing is allowed to remain on top of the glass—no pens, pencils, ink, or papers.
The desk equipment consists of two pencils and a memorandum pad, kept in the flat middle drawer; in the left- hand top drawer is a pen and a non-leakable inkwell, and in the top right-hand drawer, a box of cigars. The methods used to bring about this condition are few. No details take up this man’s time because they never get to him. An organization surrounds him which is capable of attending to the lesser business. He keeps in touch with every department, but seldom interferes.
The memorandum pad in the middle drawer is used frequently for making suggestions to departments. In order to keep duplicates of his instructions and at the same time avoid shifting a piece of carbon paper, he uses pads with alternating white and yellow sheets. The white sheets are perforated and carbonized on the back. With this pad it is a simple performance to jot down memoranda, call a boy and send notes on their way, leaving a record on the yellow duplicates for follow-up.
PLAN 67
A PLAN WHICH GIVES THE DAY A GOOD START
Here’s a new kind of partner—a “file partner”—and
the man who first took “him” into business reports facor-
abty on “him.”
To avoid loss of time in his daily work a manager in the “West uses a special “file partner” to remind him of his various tasks. Located in the upper desk drawer, these files supplement the function of the desk calendar pad. They are divided by tabs into the following headings: “immediate;” each of the six weekdays; “sales-men;” “in a few days;” “ideas,” and “printer.”
The “immediate” file he tackles first each morning. Without delay he can jump into this important work. Then as he gets to it, he goes through the file covering that particular day. All material to be used in discussion with another officer he places in the file bearing that man’s name, pending a conference between them. The printer, whom he sees daily, gets the same treatment. Under “salesmen” he puts items for attention with the salesmen and, under the “ideas” and “in a few days” folders, he files topics of value for later use. This data ‘ is looked over thoroughly every few days.
For subjects of great importance, the manager dictates a letter to himself, and makes the stenographer responsible for its delivery to him on the morning of the specified day. This is in addition, of course, to the “file memory.”
PLAN 68
THIS PLAN IS WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN
GOLD TO ONE MAN
Here a busy man tells how he uses a unique “date book”
to distribute his appointments evenly over the week. A
glance at it tells him exactly what work is laid out for
each day and enables him to finish tasks on time.
One executive who has many appointments for conferences and interviews each week has worked out a plan for charting his tasks which he says is worth its weight in gold to him.
He keeps on his desk a looseleaf pad of paper 81/2 by 11 inches, with the individual sheets ruled off into a set of squares, six across, and eight deep. Each vertical row, beginning at the left, represents a day of the week, and the horizontal rows, beginning at the top, are for the working hours of each day. Thus each sheet, dated at the top, represents a week.
When this business man makes an appointment to see Stone next Wednesday at 11 o’clock, he simply jots Stone’s name down in the third column from the left—Wednesday—and the third square from the top of the column—since his day begins at 9 a, m. A real advantage of the idea is the way in which it enables him to visualize his appointments and distribute them evenly through his days and through the week, so that he does not overload one day at the expense of another. A single glance enables him to tell just how full next Thursday is. and whether he had better see Hayes on that day or on Friday. Moreover, each night a quick survey of the vertical column of next day’s work enables him to map out his schedule effectively, economizing on time and details. He says that he finds the little unpleasant jobs, on which he formerly was likely to procrastinate, have a habit of getting themselves done on schedule if jotted down for a given day and hour.
PLAN 69
PERHAPS THIS IS THE PLAN YOU’RE
LOOKING FOR
The chances are that no matter what hind of business you
happen to be in, you will find it about as easy as falling
off a log to work out some sort of a variation of this plan
to fit your own particular needs.
An “office encyclopedia” is the plan worked out by a Pennsylvania business man for saving his time in looking up information regarding customers. Before he evolved the new method rarely was there a record sufficiently complete at hand. Like many other managers he looked up accounts, examined the contract books and the orders previously entered, delved in Dun or Brad- street, and otherwise resorted to the usual laborious methods. And it all took time.
Now he consults the “office encyclopedia.” He or the head of any department can refer instantly to the complete record of any customer and learn the condition of the account at the moment without bothering the book-keepers; note how the customer has been paying; find the record of letters written for a remittance; deter- mine his credit rating; learn what material the customer buys; the contracts in force; and his address, shipping point; and every other data that may be of interest regarding him.
Two card records constitute the “encyclopedia.” One (Figure 13) is the basis of the customer’s record. A card is made out for every customer on the books and for all prospective buyers. It contains all pertinent information concerning each one. All departments must join in the accurate keeping of the record.
For instance, the names and addresses are filled in by the sales department upon the receipt of the first inquiry, together with credit or any other data obtainable. The invoice department is next required to insert the necessary information under “material,” showing the principal products which the customer buys. The information under the heading “contracts” is furnished by the clerk who has charge of this detail. A cipher often is used for the insertion of prices, but this practice is not invariable.
The back of this form is blank and is reserved for special remarks—principally information gathered through correspondence or furnished by agents, complaints of importance, and the disposition or settlement of them. The card is 5 by 8 inches and is filed alphabetically in a cabinet which is kept in the most convenient position for reference. The cards are filed and cross-indexed under whatever headings are deemed necessary.
The second card (Figure 13) is for collections and is kept separate from the customers’ record. Its prime purpose is to enable the manager to keep an accurate tab on all past due accounts. The bookkeeper, every few days, goes over the invoice book and enters on the cards each customer’s name whose account is past due, the dates, and the ledger folio. All cards are placed in alphabetical order in a cabinet. This enables anyone to go quickly over the past due accounts and make deductions without wasting time asking questions. Whenever an account is settled the card is marked “paid.”
My assistants understand they are to adhere strictly to this plan and I encourage them to be alert in following it out in detail. I get my information speedily and clear away my desk without vexing delays. Certain letters obviously fall into well-defined classes so that I merely designate what answers to send.
I realize that the way we handle correspondence reflects the spirit of the house, so that is all the more reason why I want it handled systematically and by a definite schedule. I read the letters received only once unless they are of such importance that they require holding over for study. This method—open, read, dictate answer—makes for quick, effective handling of correspondence.
PLAN 70
THIS PLAN SAVED 10%
It happens that this is the plan of a factory superintendent,
but once you have read it, you will readily see that it can
be applied wherever interviews form a part of the day’s
work.
A factory superintendent, whose time is much in demand by people both in and out of his own organization, has so arranged his office chairs with relation to his own desk, as to make an estimated saving of 10% of the time formerly taken up by interviews.
The chair to the right of his desk is for outside callers; that on the left is for employees. Regular callers under- stand the plan and, when admitted, they always take the chair on the right without being invited to sit down. If a foreman enters while an interview is going on he takes the left-hand chair and the superintendent can dispose of him quickly, as a rule. Conferences of more importance are held in a private office.
This same executive has saved himself many additional minutes by having his office walled with clear glass. From his desk he can see the entire floor, a fact which has made unnecessary many of the inspection trips he formerly had to make. He overcame any possible objection to this idea from the men by explaining that the windows were put in not that he might spy upon them, but merely to save his own time.
PLAN 71
HOURS SAVED BY ELIMINATING “IF’S”
AND “AND’S”
This is similar to Plan 95 in some respects, but it operates
a little differently. That’s why it’s included—so that
you can take your choice or combine the two, pre-
haps, to sate some of your fleeting minutes.
“I save hours in the course of a month by putting all my instructions in writing,” says an Atlanta business man. “I do not except even the less important detailed orders, where it is possible to get them in black and white.
” Formerly I sent for men and more or less discussion was bound to result. “While holding these interviews I often had my mind on other work, which was pressing, and was delayed by the ‘if’s and ‘and’s’ that arise during a personal talk over business problems. I have eliminated a lot of useless argument and superfluous explaining of points an assistant can usually figure out for him- self and to much better advantage. And, even more important, I am sure that my instructions will be carried out as soon as possible.
“For each note I use a special sheet in duplicate with only two words on it, ‘Do’ and ‘Done,’ and also a serial number. I write the name of the person addressed just over the word ‘Do.’ The instructions and the date when the work is to be finished follow under this heading.
The duplicate is kept by my secretary who files it under the date on which the task should be completed.
“At the bottom of the original slip is the word ‘Done’ and just below is a space for the worker’s signature. “When he has finished the assignment he signs his name and returns the sheet to me. I give each assistant plenty of time for his task and I expect him to be through on the date specified, unless he sends in an explanation, bearing the number of the instruction note, and convinces me that he is warranted in having an extension of the time. In that case, the date on the duplicate is advanced accordingly.”
PLAN 72
THIS PLAN SAVED MOMENTS TODAY
And, what’s more, it also chased away noise and inter-
ruptions for the man who originated it. If yen are dis-
turbed too frequently in your work you’ll want to know how
this executive secludes himself successfully.
An ingenious short cut in executive work has been devised and put into practice by the head of a business man located in the Middle West, with the aid of a well known device for transmitting or overbeaming speech. No telephone or other mechanical appliance appears on his work-table; to all outward appearances his private office is as free from the machinery of business as is his library at home. But attached to the bottom of the work- table is the device, located at his right and within reach of his hand when he is seated in his chair. To this device are connected five wires. Three of these wires are connected with the private offices of his chief assistants ; the fourth, with the desk of his secretary, while the fifth is connected with the telephone switchboard in the outer office. This arrangement enables him to handle his day’s work, if need be, without leaving his chair and without summoning a single individual to his office. By merely holding the small circular receiver to his ear, he is able to carry on, in a normal voice, telephone conversations via the switchboard, or to converse privately with any one or all three of his assistants; private conferences between the four are sometimes conducted by means of this device.
The executive dictates his letters over the instrument, to the economy of time and effort both of himself and of his secretary. And the device has been of special service in enabling his secretary or one or more of his three assistants to overhear the conversation that is of interest to them by the simple device of calling their offices—a modification of a scheme which has been extensively used in detective work and broadly exploited in spectacular ways during recent years.
PLAN 73
A PLAN MADE UP ENTIRELY OF “TIME-
SAVING KNACKS”
It’s a knack for saving time that puts many a man ahead,
we’ll all admit—but even if we haven’t the knack, what
difference does it make as long as we have descriptions of
the plans used by the lucky ones with the knack?
One business man has found that “little knacks” in the aggregate save him valuable time each day in handling correspondence. His plan eliminates all petty annoyances and obstacles to an orderly completion of the work. His assistants are given certain rules by which they cooperate with him, so that all letters come to him ready for easy reading. The use of pins or clips in the extreme upper left-hand corner only, or for some documents, the extreme lower left-hand corner, makes it unnecessary to remove the pin from correspondence in order to get at a name or date that is covered up.
In the letters themselves the sorter checks and under- scores important points so that the executive is enabled to visualize the contents quickly. As he goes over them he in turn indicates what disposition he wishes made of them. To save time in this work he uses abbreviations—a “shorthand” that explains itself—such as a capital “C,” when he desires previous correspondence attached, and the letters “fu” followed by a future date, when subjects are to be followed up, as well as other private marks for various processes the letters require.
There is a vertical file within reach of his chair, with folders marked for “look-up” and for various form- letter replies. As he sorts his mail two or three times a day, he puts the routine items in the proper folders. His stenographer gets one or another folder in her free time, and answers the group of similar queries quickly.
PLAN 74
THIS PLAN CHECKED EIGHT TIME LEAKS
This man, finding himself too often swamped with work,
and desiring to profit by previous mistakes, analyzed his
problem as described below, and now he doesn’t give him-
self a chance to be overcrowded. How he does it—and
it’s really a simple plan—may give you a profitable idea.
“Analysis of my problems enabled me to develop a plan for minimizing detail loads which were occurring all too frequently,” says one business man. ” So swamped was I at times by unexpected work that I found little opportunity for vital phases of policy and business growth. I have overcome these conditions successfully.
“I saw in going over past work that losses in time came from the following eight causes:
” 1. Delay in getting quotations showing extreme market changes.
“2. Unusual runs on items which must be ordered from various supply sources.
” 3. Emergency orders which upset routine.
“4. Delay in promised shipments.
“5. Unreported breakage.
“6. Calls for goods stocked by competing firms.
“7. Excessive correspondence covering a line or item under consideration.
“8. Miscellaneous causes not important enough to be listed in above.
“To do away with these conditions, and thus gain time for myself, I not only placed more responsibility on my immediate assistants but arranged for greater cooperation from the various clerks—a simple readjustment when it was made clear. For instance, in handling unusual runs, I eliminated most of the worry and trouble by having clerks report such demands for goods the first day, making renewal possible ahead of the ordinary minimum stock notification.
PLAN 75
“IT HAS STOOD THE TEST OF YEARS,” SAYS A
MAN WHO HAS USED THIS PLAN
This plan—in a little different “dress,” to be sure—to you is described as used by several men. Isn’t the fact that they could all adapt it to their individual needs encouraging?
For tabulating quickly all useful information, one executive finds a “roster of data files” helpful and practical. He has proved its worth through several years’ actual test.
This “roster” is made up of about 130 subjects, arranged alphabetically and placed under the glass plate in his desk. Opposite each subject is printed the number of the file in which data on that topic is placed. When- ever the executive comes across a letter, newspaper or magazine clipping, or design, setting forth other men’s methods, or whenever he makes a written note of any idea which may occur to him, he glances over this roster to determine what subject the material should properly be classified under, marks the corresponding number on it, and places it in the basket, from which it reaches the proper files in the ordinary routine of the office or goes to the man who must handle it. further.
In this particular case, such extensive use is made of this data file, because of its obvious value, that considerable time is required to keep it up. For ordinary purposes, however, the plan in its modified form is sufficient: a typewriter slip, containing only a small number of “data file” classifications and their corresponding numbers, may easily serve the purpose of the average desk worker, and may be attended to when occasion offers, by a stenographer.
Along this same line of gathering and filing information, a Chicago executive has his folders labeled by subject, then numbered consecutively, and filed in numerical order. An index sheet is kept handy, and by running down the list of subjects, which is arranged alphabetically, as far as possible, he quickly finds, without leaving his desk, the number of the desired folder. The value of this plan is that important numbers are soon committed to memory and it is easy to indicate by number in exactly what folder the file clerk should place a clipping or paper.
Many items that might otherwise be lost or forgotten are readily “remembered” by this file, and put to valuable use when needed.
Similarly, a superintendent saves time by using a simple card index for referring to all quotations, thereby eliminating guessing at the prices of important purchases. The index saved the first year over 10% in the cost of raw material. This was possible because the superintendent’s record of quotations enables him to avail himself of low prices when he was ready to buy. He had the names of the sources of supply and their prices where he could refer to them immediately. He didn’t trust to his memory.
PLAN 76
A PLAN FOR SECURING OTHER MEN’S
METHODS
“I pick up a surprising amount of useful knowledge by
following this plan, and sate time as well,” declares the
business man who describes it below.
“I actually save time in my office,” declares one business man, “by utilizing what otherwise would be waste minutes outside the office. This may sound strange but it’s a fact. I have secured other men’s methods and have gained a number of practical ideas for time and economy by reading torn-out articles from magazines during odd moments and on the suburban train.
” Previous to starting this plan I often missed out on helpful information in publications I had ‘no time to read.’ Magazines are so bulky that I found it inconvenient and annoying to carry them around. Even on
the train they seemed to he in the way, especially if I was burdened with bundles. Now I always carry in my inside coat pocket and in my left rear trousers pocket a few good articles from a recent magazine or trade journal containing information worth my time. “When the magazines arrive each month or week I simply glance through them hurriedly and tear out the interesting items along my special line.
” Once in a while there is a magazine so full of methods I want that I don’t tear it. Of course, during the first hour of the working day when my mind is fresh for the more important problems I rarely take time to read but there are a number of moments during the day when I do extract an article from my pocket and go over it.
“I find I pick up a surprising amount of useful knowledge by following this plan. I have not hesitated at tearing the leaves out of a book in order to get its points.
Once I kept a book on the table at home four months hoping for the time to read it. It was too large to carry in a pocket. So I took out the leaves and read it in sections, completing it in a week.”
PLAN 77
A PLAN FOR CONCENTRATING WHICH WORKS
An organizer describes a rattling good plan and shows how, in cutting down time losses for himself, he automatically raised his standard of work and developed in a most simple way a valuable habit of concentrating his thought.
“It is probably impossible to tell the number of hours I have saved by learning to concentrate,” writes a busy executive. “I worked out this plan when I found it
almost a physical impossibility to meet all of my business appointments. I would go into a conference scheduled to last for an hour and find that the time allotted would be entirely consumed in unprofitable discussion before a point was gained from which a decision could be reached. This would make me late for my next appointment or interview, and often the few minutes lost meant the loss of many dollars on a big deal of some sort.
” I realized I was to blame as much as the other men. We talked ‘about’ the subject but not definitely ‘to’ it. I made up my mind to be a good listener. At the next conference, which was most important, I remained quiet and analyzed. While the others talked I kept my eyes and mind focused upon a pad of paper on the table. I charted the undertaking under its various heads, put- ting them down in logical sequence. When I had finished I spoke and, by aid of my notations, called the men back to the main issues.
“With a concrete plan before them, these men quickly suggested a change here or approval there. With the subject predigested they agreed to the whole arrangement and the work was finished within the allotted period.
“This was simply due to the ability to concentrate. I was able to meet the next appointment on time. In. all my work I pursue the same course. My time is almost always as full as it was on that one occasion. I cannot afford, therefore, to decide a question once and revise my decision later. I cannot afford to rewrite a letter, a proposition or a report in order to make it say more exactly what I intended. I know that success along these lines requires a predigestion of the subject, but surely almost everyone can acquire that facility.”
PLAN 78
THE “WALLBOARD” PLAN
Overseeing the work of others, or just “running ourselves,”
usually involves a lot of detail. That’s why we are all
continually looking for the best ways to sate time. Per-
haps an adaptation of the following plan will help.
The manager of an eastern firm uses a “planning board” to short-cut his daily routine and to watch general details with the least time and effort. This board he finds easy to operate and valuable in a great many ways. It hangs on the wall of his office and really acts as a graphic representation of a card file for tabbing progress of all work under his supervision.
The device is approximately 7 feet high by 11 feet long. It is built of wood and has been painted a mahogany brown, and is divided into four sections—(1) ideas, (2) plans, (3)\tasks, and (4) supervision, as shown in Figure 15. Perpendicular lines subdivide each of these four sections into columns, each of which is wide enough to contain record cards four inches wide, with a small margin on either side. The cards are perforated at the
top so that they may be readily attached to little brass hooks provided at intervals.
In the upper left-hand corner of the board is the section marked “Ideas.” Any idea or suggestion which might be useful to the business, whether it occurs to the executive, the manager of a department, or an employee, is briefly described on a pink card which is then hung up under this section, properly classified, and held for consideration until the idea is abandoned or adopted. In case of rejection, the card is merely destroyed.
If the idea is adopted, however, it becomes a definite job, and is transferred to a “plan strip” which is hung in the plan section. This plan strip consists of a “key card,” to which is attached a series of eight operation or “task cards.” Each of these bears the name of the job, the name of the person or department to whom the work is assigned, its character, the job number of the “key card,” and the decimal number of the individual ticket as well. The “key card” itself bears merely a list of the different tasks to be performed.
When work is actually started on any particular job, the tickets are all detached, the “key card” is hung in the “Supervision” section, and each operation or individual task card is hung under the name of the individual employee or department assigned to that task. The name of each employee appears in a small metal cardholder. “With this device it is only necessary to glance at the “Tasks” division to determine how many different duties have been assigned and to whom. The manager is able also to note quickly what each employee is working on. In this way he is saved a lot of questioning and wondering over the condition of the business. Without delay he can apprise himself of facts, and take any action which is necessary.
By referring to the “Supervision” section, he can tell instantly the condition of each job, for the number of missing tickets indicates the incomplete work. As fast as the tasks are completed the tickets are immediately hung in their proper position under the ” key card” in the “Supervision” section.
This chart, besides its other advantages, enables the business head to apportion all work among his staff with ease. It prevents congestion in any one channel and saves useless trouble in handling tasks. Planning ahead is thus accomplished more readily. When plans have been completed, the cards are left hanging for reference until the executive has no further use for them. As an additional means of visualizing the work and to conserve his time, colors are used effectively on the board. The “plan, strips” are blue.
In case additional helpers are required on a job, a buff ticket records the fact, and the card is hung in the column under the name of the employee to whom the assistant is assigned. Red tickets call attention to rush tasks.
PLAN 79
HERE’S A PLAN THAT’S “DIFFERENT”
You might think offhand that this plan wouldn’t interest you in the least, especially if your duties are unlike those of the manager who dislikes it. On the other hand, useful ideas often come from the most unexpected sources
and a glance through this plan may well give you a suggestion for saving your time.
” I have found that one of the most difficult corners to turn in good business management is the shift from the road to office work and back again,” says a general manager. “The man who travels intermittently, and at the same time supervises departments in the head office, is assailed by two sets of details—those of the field and those of the desk.
“I have worked out a plan which enables me to shift from one kind of environment to the other without losing time in either. In fact I have been able to save many precious minutes, and handle my job more satisfactorily. This is the way I dispose of details:
“1. All data necessary for road work are kept in a separate file and consist of copies of certain records and correspondence in the general file. Contracts, statistical tables, blueprints or other items needed only at rare intervals, or possibly not at all, are indexed. Cross-reference slips are included in the road file.
“2. Road information has precedence over office in- formation where either must be delayed. This keeps the road file always ready for an emergency.
“3. An assistant handles all necessary work with me in outline. He states the methods he would pursue during my absence. Thus I train an understudy.
“4. To eliminate waste effort, I have the office tasks I must do scheduled in the order of their time importance, ready for immediate disposal on my return.
“5. “When in the field I receive a daily summary listing all important details which have been given attention.”
PLAN 80
A PLAN WHICH SAVES TIME AUTOMATICALLY
“The best I have ever seen,” says the man who has put it
into practice. If your business involves the situation he
has in mind you’ll see how advantageous the arrangement
is-—and even if it doesn’t, it’s only fair to admit the big
idea of his plan is not limited to just this one applica-
tion, by any means.
With the aid of a unique electrical device, consisting of an annunciator with 60 indicators hanging on the wall in front of the desk and a flat metal push-button board that contains a corresponding number of buttons, the manager of one company has effected a time saving in handling interviews with his department heads and assistants. At the same time he has made it possible to select the order in which he shall see his lieutenants and thus regulate his appointments by their importance.
“Here is one of the best time and labor-saving plans for an executive that I have ever seen,” he says, “and so far as I know it is the only one in the country.”
But that does not mean that he either has or would want an exclusive claim to the device. It may be in- stalled in any office without violating any patent right, for the simple reason that it consists merely of the common, ordinary electric push-button and annunciator, familiar in offices and homes throughout the country. It is the use to which ordinary fixtures are put that make them unusual.
The indicators on the annunciator connect with as many offices of the department heads of the company. If Mr. Rounds, room 228, wants to see the general manager, he merely presses a button on his desk and the annunciator in the chief’s office proclaims the fact. And if the manager is ready to see Mr. Rounds he reaches out to the little flat-topped stand at the right of his desk and presses the button to room 228, which notifies Mr. Rounds that he may come at once and which automatically resets the indicator on the wall.
Do a dozen or two dozen officials want to see him at the same time? He glances at the board to determine which one he shall see first, and summons him. No department head comes to the office until he receives the
answering signal.
No time is lost in waiting in the anteroom. No time is lost in sending or receiving telephone calls. And no intrusion in person or by wire is possible during a conference. The plan, this manager says, can be adapted to the office of any business executive who has occasion to consult frequently with his associates.
114 Proved Plans to Save a Busy Man Time
Free Newsletter
