Tip 8—Voluntary Assignments

Keep both “promise-to-do” and “above-and-beyond” tasks in view while working on other projects . . .

“Have all types of 'promise-to-do' and 'above-and-beyond' tasks—which usually don’t have formal deadlines—within view on paper, a white board, or on post-its. They can be short organizational tasks you tend to avoid or more elaborate planning projects that require a range of details that you can address piece by piece. Address them whenever you need to shift gears or have a little time between other tasks. Pay attention to not only tedious tasks like updating a calendar, but also 'nice-to-have' items like recognizing someone on your team for a job well done.”