I do what I do to help people be more efficient, but unless you make the tips I am about to share, become a habit, then under stress you will revert to what you have always done.

“Do what you have always done, and get what you’ve got”

How do the most efficient people overcome challenges like:

• Procrastinating on tasks—both small, nagging ones and large, challenging ones
• Boring work that needs just to get done
• Responding to email and other messages while working
• Staying motivated and energized throughout the entire work day
• Focusing and finishing the most important projects on their plates

Increase productivity and become highly efficient with these habits

1.Focus on most important tasks first.

They are often the ones that you leave until last if you don’t enjoy doing it. How you prioritise work can also have a positive impact. I have always completed ‘bosses’ tasks first so that if they needed it, it was done, but also so I wasn’t distracted by the pressure of the task distracting me and making me multi-task

2.Cultivate deep work

By this, I mean think about HOW you work. WHEN you work your best. WHAT you are best at. WHO can support you that may really enjoy the challenge.

For example, I know that I am always tired after lunch. So I make sure I have a low sugar caffeine drink available, some chewing gum or fruit available and I do tasks that require less brain input and more ‘just get it done’ mindset, like data entry perhaps

3.Keep a distraction list to stay focused

I often have a visual card that says exactly what I’m working on so that if I take a call, answer the email etc, that I go straight back to what I was working on.

4.Use the Eisenhower Matrix to identify long-term priorities

I often use a laminated sheet, divided into TODAY/TOMORROW/ NEXT WEEK and I use post it notes to move tasks around. If I haven’t at least started a task within a week then I take it off the board and maybe record it elsewhere under ‘future projects’

5.Use the 80/20 rule

Using Pareto’s logic (I’ll do another piece on this soon which I’ll link here), Tackle two or three of the biggest projects, tasks, or commitments on your to-do list first. Use your energy and time on those. Prioritize them, and recognize you’re doing so because those two or three tasks will likely give you 80% of what you want.

6.Break tasks into smaller pieces

List the steps to get the job done, delegate to people with stronger skills for those tasks, and focus your sessions on moving forward.

7.Take breaks

Get up, if you don’t want to walk away from your desk cause your mental flow is going well, just walk on the spot swinging your arms and be sure to have a drink of water. 

8.Make fewer decisions

This can often mean try to avoid being distracted so that people don’t ask questions that you have to take responsibility for.

9.Eliminate inefficient communication

Avoid unneeded meetings, create agendas for calls and meetings. allow time at the beginning of the call or meeting for ‘small talk’ and then quickly wrap it up. People will appreciate your efficiency. No one wants to be ‘that’ person that goes on and on and makes you late for lunch or going home on time.

10.Find repeatable shortcuts

Have document templates in place, keep draft email templates. create processes so everyone knows what’s happening next including your customers and colleagues.

11.Learn from successes as well as mistakes.

Don’t keep making the same mistake. Where’s the sense in that? time wasted undoing and redoing the task.

12.Plan for when things go wrong.

Have a recovery plan. It saves time. Keep passwords available so that if you have to log in on another computer or phone, then you can seamlessly carry on. Go to meetings with printed versions or presentations on a memory stick as well as saved to the computer.

13.Don’t multitask.

Multi tasking is another word for not being focused. Focus your thoughts. stay away from sources of distraction (people, phones). set your self a time limit for focused activities and be sure to have a good quality break.

14.Fill the tank — recharge

Eat well, drink and rest well. Nutrition is key in high performance players. Not just for your body, but most importantly for your brain. Take regular breaks and ensure you sleep well at night.

15.Sharpen the axe

To stay motivated at work, you need to stay sharp. Enjoy your time away from work. Keep your body fit and exercised so that it is in it’s best shape for the future.

16.Manage your energy (not just time)

Don’t let other people be a ‘mood hoover’. You can’t choose how people will react, but you can control how you choose to exert your energy. Surround yourself with people who are positive, funny and empathetic. Don’t waste your time with such people telling them how busy or tired you are as they won’t allow you to take their energy either

17.Get better at saying “no”

Say no to that 2-hour meeting. Say no to staying over time every day. Say no to being treated in a way that you are not happy with. You don’t have to be so blunt to just say NO but the result should be that will not allow the thing to happen, or that it may happen, but on your terms.