Shiva Ayyadurai Quotes

I get up early and open my emails, write cheques, and answer the phone; whatever needs to be done.

I answer every single e-mail that comes in myself.

I started out as a receptionist. I typed, I filed, I answered the phones for a little nine-person company.

Procrastination is probably my worst habit out of many. Especially when it comes to paperwork.

I read mails throughout the day but answer mails more in the morning and evening.

I have to clean my room and unload the dishwasher, wash the pans, and feed the dogs.

Even before I had an assistant, my calendar was color-coded and I had all these different e-mail rules for how to prioritize e-mails, so I made it a point years ago to figure all that stuff out because my life was a mess.

I hate phones. All businesses are personal businesses, and I always try my best to get back to people, but sometimes the barrage of calls is so enormous that if I just answered calls I would do nothing else.

The time I save setting up and cleaning up probably balances out by the time I spend on output.

There are different usage patterns - I never do email during the day. I don't multitask well at all. I don't know how to be in a meeting and participate and be on email at the same time. I do see some people do it more effectively. I've never quite figured that out.

I am definitely a keep-it-clean type of person when it comes to e-mail. My 'important' folder on the Gmail app is constantly clean. When a new e-mail comes in to my important folder, I immediately look at it and determine what action item comes with it. The action item may not get done until later, but at least I know it's coming.

I don't know that the Brits have the monopoly on being organized, but they do have a way of working with which I'm familiar. It's not necessarily the best way, but it's a way.

Most people have no idea how to politely answer a phone. The English do, and it's been their only major business advantage for the past two centuries.

At present I answer about 100 letters a month, and read 300 emails.

There are three things that can be organized: time, space, and work. Note that, despite what many believe, you cannot organize people - you can only organize the work that people do.

I'm old, I'm used to crummy service, I'm trained to get crummy service. To me, the fact I can get through to a call centre and then hold for 15 minutes, I don't get that upset. My kids won't. They want to know the answer to their question now. As a company you have to provide an answer to that consumer.

Anyone I don't know, in my emails or texts, I just delete. If it's someone legitimate, they'll send it again.

Each night before I go to bed, I take out a small card and write a list of the things I need to do the next day in order of their priority.

To be honest, more than what I prepare, it's the directors who do the bulk of the work, researching, collecting data and all that. I like to see myself as a processor: they feed me with the data, I give the output.

Email is a wonderful thing for those people whose role in life is to be on top of things, but not for me: my role is to be on the bottom of things.

If all I did was answer the correspondence I get, that would be my job.

My productivity is overwhelming!

The challenge of email is that people send you stuff for free, and it becomes items on your to-do list.

Our products weren't getting some of the excitement they deserved because you were waiting on hold on the phone, or we missed an appointment.

I've considered myself a writer since I was 7 years old, but I've done a lot of jobs along the way. I enjoyed waiting tables and tending bar during college, especially when it got busy, so I might like managing a big restaurant. In fact, I might like managing many kinds of businesses or organizations.