How to Work More Efficiently

Sometimes the only thing more difficult than work is working efficiently.

It seems that no matter how difficult or important the task, millions of Americans feel that they just can’t get it all done. Sometimes there’s not enough time in the day, and just as often we’re just too lazy.

Maybe there actually aren’t enough hours in the day. Regardless of what you are doing, though, you can probably do it more efficiently. Here are 5 tips to work more efficiently:

Prioritize

What is more important, finishing that deadline or looking at your friend’s photos on Facebook? That answer is obvious, but some might not be as easy to realize. If you have several tasks to perform throughout the day, you should figure out how to prioritize them from most important to least important. We often put off the most important tasks because they are the most difficult or more daunting than others, which leaves us with the least amount of time for the most important things. Prioritize by what will give you the most return on your investment and you will be a better person because of it.

Create a schedule

Figure out exactly how much time you will have in a day. Rather than giving yourself rough estimates, create as streamlined and exact of a schedule as you can possibly conceive. Tell yourself that you need to leave at an exact point in the day and you will likely work more efficiently, rather than taking breaks every 30 minutes because you can afford to.

Deal with things immediately

Deal with things as they come to you. Don’t put things off until the last second. The more you have on your plate the more likely they will get lost in confusion or chaos. If something takes less than 5 minutes, do it right when you see it. If something takes longer, make a set plan for when and how it needs to be done. There’s no point in postponing something just because you don’t want to do it. Everyone has these moments, but the successful people deal with them more efficiently.

Keep your desk clutter-free

One of the biggest time-wasters comes from lack of organization. There’s no use in looking for something for 15 minutes when you can just as easily spend two minutes putting it away in the first place. You can streamline your entire life, both personal and professional, by keeping track of everything.

Be on time

One of the biggest problems that people face is that they show up late for events, or they feel rushed to get things done. Some people say that they work better under deadline, but that rule does not apply when you have to be somewhere at a certain time or you need to hand something in. If you do work better under deadline, set a personal deadline before the actual one. This will give you a certain amount of time to check things over and make you look more responsible than you actually are.

Efficiency is the key to life. It helps with stress, you get more out of your day, and you are happier as a result. Try it out.

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