7 Tips to work more efficiently
1. Plan your week
Often we say “Every
minute spent on planning saves 10 minutes in execution” and we all know it is true. If you are
prepared and know exactly what needs to be done, how to handle unexpected
situations and what to do first, you will be a lot more efficient. But for some
reason we never get around to it, it takes time, is a hassle and well, we are
lazy.
The fact is that if you
spend 1 hour every Monday morning planning your week, writing down everything
that needs to be done, prioritizing the list by importance and then deciding
what should be done on Monday, what on Tuesday and so on, you will save hours
during the week.
2. Plan your day
Just like when planning
your week, spending some time on planning your day makes a large difference.
Before I started planning my days I would often spend a lot of time checking my
email or just looking for something important to do.
Now that I know exactly
what I need to do today, and in what order, I can work efficiently from morning
till the end of the day and get much more done then I used to.
3. Batch your activities
Every time you start a
new activity, it takes time. You have to get everything you need in order to do
the task, you need to get into the mindset and you need a little “warm up time” during which you don’t work as fast as when you have done something
for a while. Once you are done with the task, you have to put everything away,
and “cool off”.
This means that every
time you start a new activity a lot of time is wasted. If you can let the work
of each task build up so that they will take at least 50 minutes to complete
you will spend a lot more time “in the zone” working at your highest level of activity.
Email is a great example.
Instead of updating your inbox every few minutes, only check in once or twice a
day.
4. When at work, work!
One problem we all have
is that we don’t like to work (usually). Whenever a chance to stop working
comes a long we usually lunge at it. Like when a friend comes in to your office
to exchange some words, we are glad to put everything away and talk a little,
often we will join them to the coffee machine and talk some more, before you
know it you have lost 30 minutes of your work day.
When at work, work! Just
because you are at the office it doesn’t mean you are working. Do everything
you need to do during the day and once it is finished you can start talking to
people and spend the time with your family, instead of talking during the day
while you feel stressed over all the things you “really” should be doing.
5. Finish every activity you start
Leaving an activity half-finished
is a big source of stress. Whenever something is only half done, it gnaws at
you and stops you from focusing on other activities.
On the other hand, when
you complete a task a rush of endorphins is released into your system making
you happy, pleased and relaxed. It gives you the energy to go on and complete
the next activity.
Use this, once you start
something, finish it. Get the endorphin rush and channel the new energy into
completing the next task, giving you another boost and so on.
6. Focus all your energy on the most important activities
The much quoted 80/20
rule states that 80% of the value you create in a day will come from 20% of the
activities you perform. Meaning, if you complete those 20% you will have done
much, much more than if you complete all the rest.
What if you could focus
all your time on those 20%? You bosses would love you because you generate so
much value to the company and you will be able to work less, because all the
time you spend is so well spent.
Go through all the
activities you perform and see which ones are the most important. Find ways to
focus more time on them.
7. Take a break!
The best way to save time
is by relaxing! To be able to work hard and efficiently, you need to be of
sound mind and be able to focus. Take a break once in a while and go for a
walk, drink a cup of coffee or take a nap.
Just don’t let the
relaxation take too much of your time!
