We’ve all heard the saying, “time is money” in various contexts – from the boss who wants his employees to stop dilly-dallying on the job to the salesman trying to reach as many potential customers during the day as possible, it’s definitely had a lot of use.
Being human, we cannot be working at maximum efficiency all the time, it’s just not possible, and if we tried we’d suffer from burnout very quickly. However, there are various things we can do to help improve our efficiency at work on a daily basis.
1) Plan your days and weeks in advance
Now obviously there are things that are going to pop up along the way that you didn’t plan for, but having a general idea of what tasks you’ll have to do on a daily and weekly level will help keep you organised and maximise your time. Write a to-do list for the next day every night and outline the upcoming week every Sunday. Preparing your mind for what is coming up is already half the battle, and will give you a good foundation to work off.
2) Find technology to complement your work
If you are a decision-maker within your organisation, all eyes will be on you to invest in making processes easier and more efficient for the organisation as a whole – this may be in the form of new technology and infrastructure, or even changing work practices and protocols. The past decade has shown us how quickly businesses can fail if they don’t spot trends and adapt.
If your workforce is increasingly mobile, ensure that you do all you can to ensure they are able to work this way effectively. An example of technology to help with this would be a room scheduler from Pronestor – this allows employees to organize meetings and book rooms remotely at the touch of a button. No more running around or making calls to find out of meeting rooms are free to use; it’s all visible from any compatible device.
3) Shorten your deadlines
Push yourself to complete within shorter deadlines by giving yourself less time to procrastinate. You often don’t need a huge buffer to ensure your work is up to scratch, so get it done and processed as soon as possible to avoid the work piling up and affecting you further down the line. Think back to your school days where you used to cram before an exam; this is adulthood now, you must get your house in order!
4) Give yourself a break
This may seem counterproductive to those of you who claim you don’t have enough time in the day, but think of it like this analogy – saying you have no time to take a break is like saying you have no time to stop your car and fill up the tank. Sooner or later you’ll run out of gas and will come to a standstill. Give yourself a few mins anytime you feel tired or overwhelmed to rest and clear your head in silence.
