5 Ways to Do Things More Efficiently
We’ve heard time management gurus and management experts give long speeches and advice on how to be more efficient on a daily basis in your personal and professional life. If you’re still searching for answers, it means that those big speeches have made little difference. Welcome to the real world and find out what we learnt when we spoke to Tracey, 47, an executive with one of the leading investment firms in the country, who has worked her way up from the floors of the stock market.
1. Stop procrastinating
Procrastination can be your biggest enemy in learning how to be more efficient. “People who procrastinate don’t realize that they’re building up a storm which is going to hit them later on, whether it is their personal or professional lives”, said Tracey. Remember folks, when you procrastinate on something, you are not saving time. In fact, you are causing a future time management problem because the work that you’ve just procrastinated will come and hit you on a later date when you are indeed, short of time. So step 1 in learning how to be more efficient is to stop procrastinating.
2. Don’t multi-task unless you are an expert at it
“When I was working on the floor of the stock market in the beginning years of my career, I tried to multi-task. Little did I know that multi tasking can spiral things out of control if you are not an expert at it. For everyone who is trying to learn how to be more efficient, I suggest that you start by concentrating on the work on hand rather than biting more than you can chew.” If multi tasking is stopping you from being more efficient, we suggest you heed Tracey’s advice and take one thing at a time.
3. Focus: Don’t let your mind waver when you have to get things done
“Focus, is the word we are looking for here”, said Tracey who considered herself to be a “thinker” until she found out that her habit of letting her mind waver and thing about unrelated things was not allowing her to be more efficient. So, ladies and gentlemen, if you are thinking whether to water your garden this weekend or not while trying to learn how to be more efficient, stop right there. Focus!
