Last updated on December 13, 2015
We’re all capable of great things, but we tend to slow ourselves down by not living up to our potential. One reason for sticking with the mediocre is distraction. We allow ourselves to become distracted by television, social media, gossip and a variety of other things that take us off course from reaching a certain goal.
In order to get back on track, you need to maximize your efficiency. Whether you want to start reaching your potential at work or at home, the following are expert tips to help you maximize your efficiency overall.
Get organized.
Before you can become efficient, you have to create an efficient process and workplace. If you want to become more efficient at work, make sure that you have an organized office. If you’re constantly looking through your clutter for that paper, stapler or important item, you’re wasting time. Take the time to organize your office so that everything is in its place. This way, you’ll spend less time looking for items and more time tending to your responsibilities.
The same goes for your home. If you’re constantly struggling to locate certain items, you won’t improve your efficiency. Make sure that every item in your home has a place and that you make it a point to put items back after you use them.
Create to-do lists based on priority.
Creating a to-do list is a great way to become more efficient because it gives you an outline of what you need to accomplish that day. However, you can increase your efficiency even further if you start to make that list based on priority. This way, you’ll know which items on your list need to be completed immediately and which ones you still have time to complete. This will allow you to complete assignments and tasks in an organized fashion to help you make better use of your time.
Give yourself a deadline.
Ever notice how you’re more driven to complete a task that has a deadline? If you have items on your to-do list with open-ended deadlines, create a deadline of your own. This way, you will find the time to complete that project and get it off your plate without continuing to put it off. Just be sure that you’re giving yourself realistic deadlines and not running yourself rampant.
Make downtime more useful.
Everyone has some downtime in his or her day that they’re not using, so find yours and start making it useful. For example, if you take public transportation to and from work, use your time on your commute to get some work done or complete a task. If you have a doctor’s appointment, bring work with you in the waiting room so that you can knock out a project while you’re waiting instead of putting it off. By making your downtime more useful, you’ll become more efficient.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
You don’t have to do everything by yourself. Sometimes, asking for help is the best way to improve your efficiency. Nobody is going to think of you as a failure if you need to delegate some of your projects to others. Instead, they’ll think you’re resourceful, especially if it helps you reach a deadline. If your to-do list becomes too much for you to handle, don’t be afraid to reach out to others and ask for some assistance.
Start using a voice recorder.
A voice recorder can be a great asset when it comes to improving efficiency. How often do you daze off in a meeting and totally lose sight of what’s being said? How often do you spend countless hours trying to decipher your notes from that lecture or interview? All of this wastes time. Instead, by using a voice recorder, you can start to record all those important meetings, conferences and interviews you attend so you constantly have a verbatim recap of the event. You can also transcribe your audio files in order to produce a hard copy that you can flip through when necessary. Not only will this alleviate your need for taking notes, but it also ensures you constantly have a reference to look back to.
Meyling Lau is a partner at SEOMap.com and has lead enterprise scale SEO programs. Formerly, Mey led a variety of grassroots marketing projects for Hotels.com.
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