Many times, people complain that they do not feel good about what they have achieved after a full day’s work. If you have ever been in this position, it does not mean you are an unsatisfied workaholic, especially if it has been going on for a long time.
For you to actually notice your own unsatisfactory performance, it means that you are serious about productivity and can assess yourself in an honest way. So these ten things you should be doing to enhance your efficiency will not be hard for you.
1. Get rid of distractions
No matter how focused you try to be, distractions will always come. So you need to be proactive about them and take certain steps before you even start your task for the day.
For example, if you always get distracted by social media notifications, turn them off before you start working. If you work from home, tell your family members to give you space during working hours and also ask them to turn down the volume of any show they are watching.
With the examples above, you can apply these proactive measures into your life and see how well you focus. And of course, clearer focus will enhance your efficiency.
2. Do not be a perfectionist
The desire to perform excellently well at your job could yield poor results if you are always trying to be perfect in every way. It is human to make mistakes, and that’s what makes a person better because they can learn from these mistakes.
When you are always thinking about being perfect, you will waste time checking and cross-checking your work, and as time is wasted so does efficiency reduce. Perfectionism also makes you set unrealistic targets that will weigh you down and make your best effects look minor.
So just aim to be the best you can be and leave it at that, you can always get better gradually.
3. Make a plan
A plan will set a structured path for you to follow when you want to start a task. It also gives you a sense of purpose and can keep you going when you feel tired or discouraged.
With a well-thought-out plan for your projects, you will know what you should do first and the main things you should prioritize. You will also be able to predict how much money and time the project will cost and make preparations for it.
If you start a project without a plan, you will go blind and even if you seem fast at the beginning, you will get confused at the slightest inconvenience and this great;y reduces efficiency.
4. Stop helping everyone that asks
If you are good at what you do, it is only normal for people to ask for your help with similar tasks. Make no mistakes, it is very good to help people, but while you are being a helper, it puts you in a position where people can easily use you.
To avoid this, you need to learn how to say no to people without feeling guilty. This is because if you keep helping everyone that asks for it, you may not have enough time for your own tasks and that will stress you so much as you put extra effort to meet up with your goals.
5. Start timing yourself
No matter how good your work is, it is not useful if it gets delivered after it is needed. So learning how to be fast with your work is an important skill that will put you ahead of those who are just good at work.
A clear example can be seen in a fashion designer’s work. If a client needs a wedding dress on the 5th of July and the designer, who happens to be slow, delivers on the 6th, the quality of the dress will no longer matter because of the timing.
So start timing yourself and know how fast you can complete a task. It will help you improve.
6. Improve your environment
A good working environment can enhance your efficiency and make you feel better about what you do. So one of the best ways to hack this productivity thing is to improve the place that you work.
Most offices are already designed with this in mind, but if you are working from home, the burden of a good working environment is on you.
Start by getting a particular room for yourself in the house, one that is different from your bedroom. Then make it a home office and add all the necessary gadgets you need.
7. Be generous with breaks
Taking a break from work is just like putting your phone on airplane mode for a while so you can refresh the network. So you need to spread short breaks throughout your day and refresh yourself as much as you can.
When you feel refreshed, your mind will be sharp and you can be so productive when your mind is sharp.
8. Start using the 2-minute rule
Being able to overcome procrastination is a fast way to enhance productivity, and the 2-minute rule is a perfect method to achieve that. With this rule, you can quickly do small tasks and get them over with instead of procrastinating because they are small.
Throughout your day, if you come across a task that will take two minutes or less to compete, do it immediately.
9. Have a good team
If your job requires teamwork, make sure you build a team of capable people because if there is one weak link, your entire team will feel the gap and this will reduce efficiency.
10. Set reminders
As much as your phone can be a distraction, it can also be a tool that enhances your efficiency. If you have a lot of things to do in a day, set reminders for each of them so you won’t forget.
Since you always carry your phone with you, it will be impossible to miss a reminder and the corresponding task.
