If you’re like most of us, you have too much work to do in too little time. If you want to maximize every minute of your day, try these tips to increase your efficiency:
- Pick three goals for the day. Start your day (or plan it the night before) by identifying three high-priority goals to accomplish. Work on this first, without getting distracted by other tasks. If you finish them off, select three more important goals. You’ll feel more productive and less overwhelmed.
- Make quick decisions. Agonizing over every decision wastes time and energy. Try to make every decision in 60 seconds or less. A one-minute deadline will result in speedy decisions that are just as likely to be good as those you spend hours on.
- Schedule thinking time. Spend a certain amount of time thinking about what you want to do every week. Make plans, do research, analyze successes and failures, and give yourself permission to go off on tangents. Often you’ll get your best ideas when you let your mind roam.
- Make a “to-don’t” list. Identify tasks that don’t contribute anything of value or don’t represent the best use of your time, and get them off your to-do list. Eliminate them or delegate them so you have more time to focus on your priorities.
- Finish your day right. Don’t wear yourself out by working into the evening. Establish a routine for the end of your work day: Save your work, clear your workspace, update your to-do list, and check your email for urgent messages (leave anything that’s not an emergency for tomorrow), turn off your computer, and stop thinking about work. You’ll be able to get the rest you need and come back tomorrow ready to do great things.
