By Laura Stack, MBA, CSP, The Productivity Pro®

If you perform a task one time and find yourself doing it again, stop. Ask yourself, "When have I already done this?" Many people waste time on repetitive tasks instead of putting an automated system or process in place.

Figure out how to do a repetitive task efficiently so that you don't waste time each time for the same results. If you're going to do something more than two times, figure out how to automate it. Look at the tasks that you do every day, week, and month, over and over again. What can you do to automate those tasks?

Program macros

When addressing an envelope or label, I used to look up the recipient in my contact management software. Then I'd get out a pen, grab an envelope, and write the information by hand. I knew my printer was capable of printing envelopes and labels, but I was "too busy" to figure out how to use the feature. After I accidentally stumbled across the envelope-printing feature in my database program, I tested it. My printer printed a beautifully typed address on plain paper.

After I finally figured out how to manually load an envelope in my printer, I took it a step further and figured out how to create a macro. Now I simply find the name, press one button, and load the envelope — presto! Everything else is done automatically. By investing a small amount of time now in figuring out how to automate the process, I will save significant amounts of time in the future.

Reuse information

My literary agent, Robert Shepard, has always impressed me with his detailed explanations of the publishing process. He takes the time to explain everything to me in terms that I can understand. I knew he must spend significant time composing his rather lengthy e-mail messages, because they were so jam-packed with great information.

Out of curiosity, I asked him whether he had saved them for future use, which he hadn't. So he copied the most recent messages he'd composed and saved them in a word-processing document. Now he will be able to use that information again with the next inquiring author … and the next … and the next. Why reinvent the wheel?

Create document templates

A template is a shell document that contains the formatting, text, and graphics that you need every time you create a specific type of document. When I first started my business, I found myself repeating my words over and over again as I composed client letters.

I was also switching back and forth between my contact management software and my word-processing software to get address information. I manually copied and pasted information from one program to another to create contracts and other agreements. After some trial and error, I learned how to create document templates. Now I execute a few simple keystrokes, and the documents write themselves.

In Microsoft Office Word 2003, create templates that use the .dot file name extension so that they open as untitled documents. When you save a template, Word automatically prompts you to give the document a different name, which eliminates the chance you'll accidentally overwrite a template. In this way, you can create templates for letters, newsletters, labels, reports, and large mailings.

Learn shortcuts

If you find yourself opening the same computer file over and over again from the Start menu, why not create a shortcut to that file on your desktop? Any time you click the mouse to access the same feature, you can speed up the process by using the keyboard shortcut.

In a Word document I often need to change the case of my text from sentence case to capitals, and I find it tedious to use the menu system. Instead, I use a keyboard shortcut. With the insertion point in a lowercase word that you want to change, hold down SHIFT and press F3 — once to capitalize the first letter, twice to capitalize the entire word, and three times to lowercase the entire word. If the word already has its first letter capitalized, the sequence works anyway: "Capital" becomes "CAPITAL" becomes "capital."

Most shortcuts are a combination of two or three keys that you need to hold down simultaneously to trigger a command. Although keyboard shortcuts might seem awkward at first, they become second nature when you use them regularly. Use the Help menu in your word-processing program to find a complete list of keyboard shortcuts.

Consolidate calendars

It was simple to schedule my appointments and speaking engagements when I was single, because I had only one calendar. Enter a husband. Enter children. Enter clients who wanted to be able to check my speaking calendar without having to call me. Enter an office assistant. Suddenly, I had my personal calendar, the family wall calendar, my husband's calendar, the office wall calendar, and a Web-based calendar. Any time that a client placed a hold on a date, five calendars would have to be updated. (Don't I teach this stuff?) So I boiled everything down to a single system.

All my speaking engagements are now tracked on a single Web-based program that links to my Web site and my speaker bureaus' Web sites. Clients can check my schedule, and my husband can access my calendar from any location. Anything that affects my time is recorded in my day planner.

Provide information

If your coworkers are repeatedly asking you the same things, create a frequently asked questions (FAQ) document. If people are interrupting you to ask for forms, create a "self-help" center outside your office and load it with the desired information. As much as possible, take yourself out of the middle of the process.

Use the AutoCorrect feature

If you are constantly typing out the long form of common abbreviations in your company or correcting the same misspelled word, using the automatic correction feature of your word-processing program will save you much time. Most programs automatically fix commonly mistyped or misspelled words, and you can add your own to their word lists. For example, you can modify the automatic correction feature to spell out table of contents each time you type "TOC" in quotation marks to distinguish it from the actual acronym. In Word 2003, click AutoText to program this feature.

Good time management brings the rewards of results, recognition, free time, clarity, and focus. By using these helpful time-saving tips, you'll be well on the road to time mastery.

About the author   Laura Stack is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., an international consulting firm in Denver, Colorado, that specializes in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations. Laura holds an MBA in Organizational Management (University of Colorado, 1991) and is an expert on integrating advances in business productivity with the retention of key employees. Laura is the author of the best-selling book Leave the Office Earlier (Broadway Books, 2004).