Have you been struggling with your work efficiency lately? I get it. With constant emails and never-ending paperwork, it’s hard not to get frazzled. Add the long hours at work + family responsibilities, and you might as well tear out your hair.
Today’s world is incredibly fast-paced, making it that much harder to achieve our goals in a single day. But trust me, the hope is not lost.
With the right habits, time management skills, and a plan in hand, you can learn to improve your work efficiency – and spare your energy at the same time!
Imagine how great it would feel if you could work smarter, not harder, and deal with your tasks more productively. This is achievable, and in this article, I want to highlight how you can set your days for lasting work efficiency and achieve great work results. PUSHING WORK EFFICIENCY TO THE SKY IS NOT A ROCKET SCIENCE!
What Is Work Efficiency?
Work efficiency, or working efficiently means you are able to do all the tasks you need to do, during the time you set to finish these tasks. Simply speaking, you are able to finish the job and meet the deadlines without burning yourself out.
Is It Possible To Improve Work Efficiency Without Simply Working More?
Definitely, yes! There’s a whole world of work efficiency and productivity improvement techniques. Both single individuals and big companies are always trying to help people work faster, without sacrificing their health (hopefully!).
I’ve been a hard worker for years now, and I’ve spent hundreds of hours trying different techniques, tips, and tools to improve my work efficiency. In the next section, I’m sharing a few simple things that help me keep my personal work efficiency at the highest level – and I bet you’ll be surprised at how simple they are! Turns out, when it comes to work efficiency, less is more.
6 Habits That Improve Work Efficiency
1. Boost Your Work Efficiency With a To-Do list
Write a to-do list every single morning (except weekends, leave your precious weekends to self care).
Whether you create or craft your to-do list on a digital platform or on paper – doesn’t matter, as long as it works for you.
Make sure your to-do list highlights all the essential tasks of the day. As simple as it may sound, to-do lists are really wonderful for helping you to stay on track and achieve your daily goals.
I like having a to-do list notepad right on my desk, because tearing off a fresh page each morning feels like a clean little restart.
Moreover, they serve as a reminder, which, in turn, ensures that no task is left unattended. In other words, to-do lists minimize the chances of forgetting to complete a project or a task.
2. Improve Your Work Efficiency With An Organized Workspace
If you’ve been desperately looking for ways to increase your work efficiency, just start your day with an organized table.
Leaving your work organized prepares you for the next day.
Hence, you end up saving on time instead of using it up looking for documents.
Spend some time to organize your work and office space and always remember – the more organized your documents are today, the easier it is to find them tomorrow! An organized and less cluttered workspace, according to research, has been shown to improve work efficiency, and it’s one of the easiest things to try!
I’m a fan of research, so I believe in that.
If you don’t know how to organize your desk, the easiest way to do that is by getting a few desk organizers that can fit everything on your desk nicely. There are a ton of awesome organizers you can get for a reasonable price on Amazon:
3. Make Sure To Turn Off Notifications When You Work
We live in a media-saturated world, and it’s great. But everything from email to social media notifications on our phones serves as a distraction.
Turn off your notifications to decrease the levels of distractions while working. There are also apps that you can use to block social media platforms for a set or scheduled time. With them, you can block your social media platforms for a set time, like from 9 am to 5 pm.
If willpower alone isn't cutting it, a timed lock box for your phone is a fun (and slightly dramatic) way to keep it out of reach until your focus block is done.
And, of course – never start your day by browsing social media.
Instead, refer to number 1 and write your to-do list!
4. Always Schedule Time For Interruptions
Not everything always goes according to the plan…
Distractions can be minimized, but certain interruptions are completely unavoidable.
While making your plan for the next day, schedule the possibility for interruptions. If you want to zoom out a little, here is how to plan your week in about 20 minutes.
This gives you more wiggle room, ensuring that you remain flexible while trying to complete your tasks.
5. Boost Work Efficiency By Tracking Your Time
To boost your work efficiency, assign every task for the day with a certain time limit.
For instance, for every document you have to write, give yourself an hour or so. By timing yourself, you can remain acutely aware of your time. I took this idea further in my time blocking guide, with rest built in.
Something like a visual timer makes this so much easier, since you can literally see how much time is left without checking your phone.
This, in turn, helps to keep you motivated (“I will have a break soon”) and prevents the situation where you lose the sense of time and then spend too much of it doing something that was supposed to be.
Needless to say, you’ll be able to accomplish your tasks faster! When setting time limits for your tasks, always consider the type of work you’re dealing with.
If it’s a difficult one, be sure to set enough time to accomplish it. You still want to ensure that you’re not only working against the clock but producing quality work.
6. Keep Your Work Efficiency High By Delegating The Overload
How to work more efficiently when you have tons of tasks?
Prioritize your work and start with the most urgent and important tasks at hand.
If you want to go deeper on prioritizing, Getting Things Done by David Allen is a popular classic for getting every task out of your head and into a system you trust.
For more menial tasks, why not have somebody assist you?
Doing everything yourself is never a good idea. This is why I love delegating things!
If my tasks are related to home care, I simply ask my boyfriend to help. But if my tasks are more complicated, or related to work, I go straight to Fiverr.
Fiverr has been my go-to delegation place for years because it’s, well, superb!
You can find people who will do various tasks for you quickly, professionally and the prices start from 5 dollars only.
Overall, you can use Fiverr to:
- Do your data entry works
- Design your beautiful business cards
- Write your legal texts when needed
- Do your market research
- Help you to set up a website
- And much more!
But my favorite Fiverr thing is the ability to hire a virtual assistant.
A virtual assistant can help you with various tasks, just like a real assistant and this service is a real lifesaver when you find yourself having way too many computer-related tasks.
FREE Weekly Planner Printable For Even More Work Efficiency
A lightweight, clutter-free Weekly Planner Printable in A4 or US Letter size, built around the habits above. Plan your whole week on one page, sort tasks with the priority grid (do, schedule, delegate or drop), give every task a time limit, write a quick to-do list each morning and finish the week with a short review. It’s a simple way to boost your work efficiency without working longer:
Here’s a closer look at the week page and the daily to-do list:
To get this printable weekly planner template, choose the size that fits your binder or paper you use:
US Letter – Weekly Planner, White
*Personal use only!
… And there’s also a color pack! (yay) The week, daily to-do and review pages come in five soft colors – rose, lilac, mint, sky and sage – plus the priority grid and time-boxed task list.
Grab these to improve your work efficiency with color sorting:
Weekly Planner Color Pack US Letter
*Personal use only!
Improving Work Efficiency – a Recap
These tips should give you an idea of how to work more efficiently every day. Remember – it’s about working smarter, not harder, or longer! Let’s sum up the main points.
To significantly boost your work efficiency:
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Create a to-do list in the morning.
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Organize your workspace at the end of every day.
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Turn off notifications when you work.
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Have a set time for interruptions.
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Delegate when possible.
Go crush those tasks, hero.
