In a post that I wrote last week about crisis management, I presented some techniques for limiting the pressure of deadlines. Responding to this, one reader commented that it wasn’t useful advice for those “on the front lines who don’t have jobs that come with laptops, travel, and corporate jargon.”

I recognize that not everyone can use every technique in a given situation. It is an issue I deal with when I present corporate seminars. During these half-day or full-day sessions, the audience often spans the range from upper management to front desk receptionist. The points that I make at the beginning include:

1. Not everyone can use every technique.
2. Even if you could, you need to select two or three on which to get started. I have audience members who have attended my seminars several times because they stated that they honed in on something different every time.
3. Although you may not personally use a specific system due to your job duties, it is good to be familiar with what others in your company are using. You never know when you may be called to fill in or assist someone.
4. All of the key points, including organizing, prioritizing, procrastinating, dealing with interruptions, paper management, email management, project management, clutter control, multitasking, and stress reduction, also have applications for home use. They may be modified or tweaked but there is a place for all of these in our personal lives. As I present seminars, I always address how to adapt the concepts to outside situations.

I think this last point is an important issue for everyone because if you are disorganized in either home or office, it affects you. Disorganization wastes time and creates stress. In classes for the general public, not only do people attend more than once, but I remember an attendee who returned within six months to the same class because she had applied the systems to her office and now wanted a refresher so that she could tackle her home.

In my next post, I will specifically address customer-driven jobs and how to use some of these tools and techniques in those situations.