Are you working hard? Or hardly working?
Most people want to be amazing at their jobs, and an integral part of being amazing at your job, wowing your co-workers, and impressing your superiors is being efficient. Efficiency at the office can be difficult, but definitely not impossible.
With the help of Forbes, Inc. and a plethora of funny, relatable, and overall fantastic GIFs and memes, here are 10 tips that will help you work more efficiently and set you on the path to career success:
1. Stop Multitasking
Yes, you read that correctly—stop multitasking. Concentrate on tasks and projects with fewer distractions to make sure that your work is done both on time and up to par.
2. Delegate
You’re not a crazy CEO who can do it all—delegate tasks that you know you can’t perform as well or don’t have time for to someone who will be able to accomplish it successfully.
3. Apply Structure to Your Schedule
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It’s all about structure! Utilize availability and productivity tools to control your calendar, establish discipline in your work day, and help you be prepared for both expected and unexpected events.
4. Time Activities
You know how you take a really long lunch break sometimes (or all the time)? Well, you probably shouldn’t do that, and that goes for your tasks and projects too! Set a time for your tasks and projects and work hard to keep to that schedule.
Log your time on your activities and conversations for a week and then spend the following week setting specific times for similar activities. Reduce time if necessary and you’re guaranteed to see what gains you’ve made!
5. Commit to Downtime and Take Breaks
And we don’t mean taking really long lunch breaks. You are at your most efficient and hard-working when you’re not tired and overworked, so rest and recuperate as much as you can. That means getting enough sleep the night before!
Take short breaks by going for a walk or briefly chatting with a co-worker, and you’ll be energized to accomplish your tasks.
6. Understand Your Body’s Timetable
You know you the best—and that means knowing your body’s natural rhythms. Save your high-intensity tasks for when your energy is at its highest, and your low-intensity, routine tasks for when your energy dips.
Whether these energy periods are in the early morning or the late afternoon, know your body’s timetable and you do you!
7. Establish Routines and Make Them Fun
It’s a proven fact that routines in your life will make you both more productive and more efficient, and that definitely applies to your job! Stick to your set routines, whether they are rules for checking emails or specific times when you respond to certain requests or read certain documents.
Make boring routines fun by listening to music or doing your work in an area other than your cubicle or desk, like outside or in another part of the office!
8. Batch Together Similar Tasks
You usually shouldn’t put all of your eggs in one basket (as the saying goes), but in this instance, you should! Lump together similar tasks in order to maximize both productivity and efficiency, like accomplishing all of your phone calls back-to-back or choosing a specific time to send all of your emails.
9. Create To-Do Lists
There’s nothing more satisfying in the world than checking off an item on your to-do list. Okay, maybe there are a few better things than that!
But whether it’s long or short, having a to-do list at work will keep your tasks and projects organized and will keep you on track.
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10. Do a Daily Brain Dump
A brain dump may sound really horrible at first—but it’s actually really good for you! A daily brain dump is when you empty the contents in your brain by writing down all of the thoughts, ideas, and errands that permeate your head.
Dump those thoughts out, then organize them afterwards! See, that doesn’t sound horrible, right?
Now go forth and conquer efficiency!
By Maureen “Mo” Elinzano