Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1916-11-14

it on your door; frame it over you
desk; say it to your fellow-worker
think it to yourself; burn it into YOU
brain-this one secret of system, thi'
one essention to success: Don't Make
the Same Mistake Twice.
"DOn'ts" That Are Necessary.
| Don't" CRATES on our sensibilities
| 1t is equivalent to rubbing the hair the
wrong way, We don't like negative
orders. There are, however, a few
"dont's" that are necessary part of a
course in desk routine. These rules
are the avioms of desk system, and
every Office man should bet them
firmly fixed in his mind before he at
tempts to put in practice the broader
more complex principles of desk mar
agement.
ID Don't let go of single paper
letter or a duty of any kind entrust
ed to your care for execution, unit!
you have made ticker memo of it, so
you can follow it up to the end and
know what becomes of it.
(2) Interview your ticker every
morning. Make it the first office
assistant" you see. and consult it at
every days beginning. Then plan
your days work in accordance with
what the ticker tells you to do on thai
day.
80 After the ticker has been con-
suited, and you have clearly fixed in
your mind the important things that
must be done today, the new papers
coming over your desk next deserve
your attention.
"a Whatever unfinished work you
have left over at night should always
be left in the same place, that is, you
should have special place in your
desk for the unfinished work, and
always leave it there This does not
mean part of your unfinished work,
and the rest of it scattered through
fifty-seven different pigeon-holes and
compartments. 1t means all of it. The
first rule of system is to have one
definite, unvarying place for each kind
of work. If, by any chance, you can
not get it all in that place, see that a
memo is placed in the drawer or place
showing where the overflow can be
found.
90 Men who make and break prom
ises are not always men who are in
tentionally dishonest. Sometimes they
are simply good natured, and dislike
tc say mo" when asked to accomplish
task. Yet there is worker who
causes more trouble for others, and
more unhappiness for himself, than the
man who continually makes loose
agreements without first carefully
calculating their feasibility. To
break this habit should be the fore
most purpose of the system man. Let
him resolve to make no agreement,
either spoken, or written, as to the
delivery or forwarding of goods, the
completion of task, the accomplish
ment of any business contract, until
he has fully investigated all the con-
ditions, and knows to a certainty that
his promise can be easily and prompt
ly fulfilled-that it will be so fulfilled
(6) When you make a promise,
make note of it. Put it down in
good, big black and white on your
ticker, and then use every energy
within your power to see that it is
fulfilled. The ticker memoranda
Should keep coming around, like
troublesome book agent, to remind
you of your promise, keeping in touch
with every stage Of the work that has
been done on it, and then should come
up hiolly dDOub tNO udyS duCdd VA
the maturity of your promise, so thar
it can be investigated carefully, and
final action put through.
Criticism Should be FOrestalIed.
(O ITO err is human" and when
you find that you have been extrava-
CANT, and your agreement, notify the
promise" explain the situation, and
give him a revised promise. Don't
wait for him to notify you. Forestan
his criticism by frank admission of
mistake, explain the circumstances,
and get him to admit the justification
of the delay. All men are reasonable;
letter of explanation, lin time saves
nine,' of complaints later on.
(S) Your superior is the first man
entitled to know what is going on. If
crisis, he should be the first man to
know of it, because he must be the
first man to weigh, consider, decide
ard act. All new work or new corre-