Increase Your Personal Efficiency and Make the Most of Each Day

We all have 24 hours each day. To find joy and success in our personal and professional lives, we need to use those 24 hours effectively. Are you using your time as effectively as possible? Consider how you could use your time more wisely and get more accomplished.

Tips for Personal Efficiency at Work

Being more efficient at work will help you in your career and make your days more enjoyable and productive.

Organize your office space. When every item has a normal home, it isn’t hard to find. Spend the last few minutes of each day tidying up and laying out your priorities for the next day.

Have an up to date to-do list. You’ll get more done if you can hit the ground running when you first walk in the workplace doors. Know what you need to accomplish and have a plan already in place.

Take regular breaks. You’ll get more done over the entire day and still feel refreshed when everyone else is burning out. Push yourself to work more intently for a period of time, then take a break. You will increase your productivity and feel more refreshed.

Use a calendar management program. Having your daily tasks and meetings scheduled will help you make the most of your day. Block time for important project work, and make sure you take a lunch break.

Delegate. You can get more accomplished if you delegate tasks at work. When needed, you might even be able to delegate work to your peers if you ask nicely. Or maybe the receptionist wouldn’t mind assisting with that mail out. Be sure to get a supervisor’s permission before asking. People are valuable resources, treat them with respect.

Keep meetings to a specific agenda when possible. If you have control or influence over the meeting, make sure the purpose and agenda is clear and that you stick to it. And not every meeting has to last an hour. Spending a few minutes to prepare what needs to be discussed and sharing that information ahead of time can cut the meeting time in half.

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Tips for Personal Efficiency at Home

Get things ready the night before. Avoid packing lunches and selecting clothes in the morning. Make these things part of your evening ritual. Your mornings will be much more relaxed.

Get organized. The average person spends a lot of time looking for things at home. Car keys, the checkbook, TV remote, batteries, and bills, to name a few. You can save a lot of time by getting organized.

Put things away when you’re done. Making the house clean is a major job. Keeping it clean, instead, is much easier. Teach everyone to put things away when they’re done. If you and your family always put things back, the house can’t become cluttered. For example:

  • Dirty dishes go in the sink or the dishwasher.
  • Put mail in the appropriate place after sorting or opening.
  • Toys go back on the shelf.
  • When you take off your shoes, put them in the proper place.
  • Use a pen? Put it back when you’re done.

These are just some practical tips to help you handle responsibilities efficiently and spend less time on your tasks. Creating routines in these areas help to make your day go smooth. Time is the one resource that we all have in equal amounts. The most successful people are those that make the most of the 24 hours they’re given each day. Make yours count!