While it’s true that the 4 day work week does exist for some, for others, it’s just not possible.
To PDF users, the 4 day work week may also seem farfetched--PDFs are heavy duty formats with content that usually requires a lot of work and oftentimes a lot of painstaking effort, reviewing and collaboration. However, what’s farfetched isn’t impossible.
It’s about minimizing and maximizing things—maximizing the format’s strengths and minimizing your inefficiencies with it. The solution to eliminating one work day a week is to change your PDF habits into efficient ones. And here are some tips on how to do it with the PDF.
1. Make Acrobat.com Your PDA.
One way to take a day off from the work week is to do it gradually, adjust and then wean yourself from the office desk completely. It may seem counterintuitive to take your work with you when the aim is to cut it out completely, but the actual goal is to cut down on it first.
To start, make use of Adobe’s online services. Acrobat.com, Adobe’s web based document work hub, can keep you in the loop while away from the office with a number of tools. It gives you all the necessities— document access, file uploading, and even a word processor, you can work on documents from your office computer and access it from anywhere.
You can even review and chat within the PDF file for group collaboration on a file. Also, any Acrobat or Reader 9 users can fill out and submit PDF forms back to Acrobat.com, making it easier to distribute forms and collect data easily away from the office.
2. Don’t Keep Track Of PDF Files Yourself
Another work reducing solution to gaining that 4 Day Work Week is to use outside sources. In essence, this tip is about delegating PDF tasks and cutting down on the PDF work you do yourself. For instance, working with PDF content involves securing confidential information. Keeping track of secured PDFs yourself can be time consuming.
For such a task, use Adobe’s Document Center. I wrote about this service awhile back in another blog posting, and its main benefit to all PDF users is that it gives you flexible control over the security of your PDFs . This eliminates the nitty-gritty work of keeping tabs on PDF files that can keep you chained to your desk in the office.
3. Be Selective With Your PDF Files
Anyone working in an office environment can tell you that it’s impossible to do everything in one shot. So the name of the game with this tip is selectivity. Being selective about the work you do with PDF files is a more efficient approach than trying to finish everything at once.
The point of selectivity is knowing which things can wait. Most people give themselves extra time by putting emails on hold and directing phone calls to voice mail for a certain amount of time during the day. Try applying this to the PDF files that need your attention.
A couple of tips:
Complete the PDF tasks on your list by working on them one at a time rather than 10 simultaneously. Focusing on one PDF task, whether it be minor PDF editing or complex PDF creation, is more productive than spreading yourself thin across a number of them that will end up poorly done.
In the end, it can mean the difference between needing one extra day or finishing one day ahead of the game.
4. Use The PDFs Diversity
One of the great things about the PDF format is that it can be a number of things at one time. The PDFs diversity is your best friend. Use it. The PDF covers a number of your basic file needs when it comes to emailing or content viewing.
The PDF format can serve as an image, media and presentation file, a website archiver, a print proof format or as a collaboration tool. Moreover, its portfolio feature can even save you the time spent sending a number of individual files. When you don’t have access to format viewers and applications that are on your office computer, the PDF and Adobe Reader can be a great substitute.
5. Read PDFs On The Go
The downside to strategic plans like this one is reality—sometimes work can’t be put on complete hold for one whole day. When this is the case try at least to limit yourself to light PDF reading on your days off. Adobe’s Reader LE is the perfect tool for this.
With Reader LE, you can use long commutes and waiting in long line ups to get some work done on the side. One feature that comes in handy is that Adobe Reader LE lets you access the same PDF files on your desktop anywhere and without needing to be converted to a mobile version.
6. Restructure Your Work Agenda
Sometimes one whole day off is impossible to do at once. One alternative to taking an entire day off is to cut your days short so your work week still amounts to 4 days’ worth of work. This tip might be a difficult one to accomplish, but you can try it by first compartmentalizing your PDF work with a schedule makeover.
This tip is related closely to being selective about your PDF work, only now you’re being selective over a few days instead of just one. A few tips: make yourself available certain times a day for certain PDF reviews and follow ups; stagger out all work that involves PDF files from top priority to least important; and if you can, put aside different days for different types of PDF files and PDF tasks to deal with.
Granted, these tips are only a small chip in the big work block, but it’ll help get your PDF habits in tip top shape. It’s ultimately a matter of focusing your attention on PDF productivity, efficiency and convenience.
With a little reorganizing and prioritizing, you’ll find yourself working 4 days a week in no time and looking forward to doing nothing on a Friday morning.
