Whether you’re working from home or back in the office, how you approach your work is due for improvement. How your work is accomplished is an important part of how you manage your life. The more you get done at a faster rate, the more you can spend your time freely. It’s less stressful, too, as you won’t have anything to constantly worry about.
To improve your efficiency both in work and life, you need to employ tricks and techniques to make things work for you. Below are some ideas to get you started.
Establish a Daily Routine
Every self-help tip always begins with “create a schedule,” and that’s because having one helps a lot in getting things done. Your daily routine is to be filled with the things you need to accomplish throughout the day, so start with the easiest and basic tasks. It can be as simple as making your bed first thing in the morning and eventually making lunch to complete an assigned task. Your daily routine says a lot about how you get things done, so take this part seriously and plot your day right.
Optimize Your Workspace
It’s undeniable that your workspace affects how efficient your work can be. Optimizing your workspace is a crucial part of your work. All the small inefficiencies that you ignore under the idea that you can work around them can accumulate and become a significant factor in your daily workflow.
Consider how you interact with your work and what would make things more efficient for you. Perhaps you need to reorganize your drawers and put the most used items where they can be easily reached. Or you might need to get some furniture or appliances repaired so that they’re fully functioning. Often, efficiency can be upgraded through small and subtle changes, so sit down and take a look at what things you can change to improve your workflow.
Avoid Multitasking
Doing multiple tasks at once can be fine if they don’t require a lot of attention. Perhaps switching from one social app to another is okay because it can be treated as a form of entertainment, just a way to pass the time. However, when you’re trying to cook dinner, feed the dog, and tend to a family member all at once, things can get pretty hectic.
Learn to compartmentalize tasks, do one thing at a time, and manage interactions more appropriately. Think about cooking as a phase-by-phase task, and realize that you can’t take your attention away from it if you’re cutting ingredients, keeping food from burning, or transferring from one container to another. But when you’re waiting for a pot to boil, or waiting on a dish that’s in the oven, then maybe that’s a better time to try and feed your pet or have a quick conversation with someone.
Make the Most Out of Short Meetings
Whether it’s a quick coffee date with a friend or a few minutes of Zoom meeting with coworkers, you’ll cover so much more if you’re more organized with your thoughts and if you’re more respectful of your role in your conversations. Listen when it’s your turn to listen, and avoid being roundabout with the way you speak when it’s your turn to be heard. Of course, don’t forget to be courteous with your words as well.
Taking a Break Is Just as Important
There’s little point in working while fatigued. Not only is it more tiring, but you’ll also get things done slower and with a lower quality. Don’t forget to include breaks in your daily schedule, and make it a point to follow through with it. Neglecting to rest can result in different types of problems, such as always feeling tired, having a lowered immune system, to eventually feeling depressed and anxious.
Not to mention, forcing yourself to work without breaks is just a disaster waiting to happen, as not only will your progress be slower, but you might eventually get sick and force you to take an extended rest period. Which would result in skipping out on more work- work you’ll have to deal with after. Don’t neglect the rest everyone deserves to take on.
Efficiency is something that can be improved, be it for work or personal purposes. Of course, you don’t have to be more productive or more efficient if you find your current setup working for you. But if you’re looking to improve how things are going, then looking at how you can do more with the time you have is the first step to succeeding.
