ENTREPRENEURS11/06/2013 @ 7:39PM25,380 views4 Ways To Work Much
Faster -- Without SacrificingQuality
Comment NowFollow Comments
(Image courtesy of digitalart at FreeDigitalPhotos.net)
The crucial skill in todays business world is surely the ability
to work really fast. The problem is though that too often when
people try to get things done quickly their quality of work really
suffers.
So how can you double the speed at which you work and still keep
your work quality high? Try these 4 techniques:
1. Use A Timer On Every Major TaskOne of the most pertinent
concepts in business is Parkinsons Law, which states that Work
expands to fill the time allotted for it. If you leave the amount
of time youll devote to a task open ended, then you will almost
always take more time to complete it. Conversely, if you set a
clear amount of time to do each task, youll work far more rapidly,
as you attempt to beat the clock.
As an added bonus, if you challenge yourself like this you will
more often experience Flow, the state identified by the esteemed
human performance expert Professor Mihaly Csikzentmihalyi as
strongly correlated with feelings of well being. In other words,
youll not only be much more effective youll be happier too.
2. Pretend Your Day Ends At 11amEach morning when you start
work, behave as though you can no longer work past 11am. If you
knew you had to go home at that point, yet you still wanted to
achieve some really worthwhile jobs, what would you do? Create a
small list then start on those important tasks immediately. The
11am technique works brilliantly because it forces you to take
action quickly on what really counts.
The average person has done virtually nothing of consequence by
11am: they have chatted with their co-workers, checked their
emails, grabbed a coffee and perhaps planned their day. They then
complain they dont have enough time to get their job done! Start
fast and youll be amazed what you can achieve by 11am.
3. Work At Home For An Hour Each DayIn most companies the
corporate offices are not actually good environments for getting
work done. The interruptions are constant, the emails ever growing
and with most open plan offices the noise is often agitating. You
would have to have the concentration levels of a Chess Grandmaster
to achieve a lot in such a situation. To counteract this problem,
allocate 60 minutes each morning to working quietly at home,
getting as many tasks as possible done before you journey into
work. Put your focus on tasks that demand quality thinking time and
push yourself to get as much done as possible. Only then should you
head into your office. Try this simple technique for 2 weeks and
youll be stunned by how much more speedily you get things done.
4. Try To Do Unimportant Tasks Within Ten MinutesYou will never
reach a high state of achievement if you give the same time
importance to tasks of low value as you give to those of high
value. Yet so many people do exactly this. Numerous times a day
they give trivial tasks more time than they rightly deserve, then
find they are short of time to get the crucial stuff done.
You must get through those unimportant jobs at break neck speed
do them only well enough that people dont complain. The work day is
just too short and your To Do List just too long for you to give
trivia more than the bare minimum of time. Several times a day set
yourself the goal of getting this unimportant stuff done in ten
minutes or less. This technique alone can often give you an extra
90 minutes a day.
How much faster could you work than you are currently doing? I
think many people could literally double what they get done each
week. These four techniques are a great start to helping you
achieve the super high level of effectiveness that we are all
capable of.
8 Things Really Efficient People Do
Everyone wants more time. Efficiency is one way of adding
minutes or hours to your day. Here are eight tips effectively used
by the most efficient.
BYKEVIN DAUM
Inc. 500 entrepreneur and best-selling author@KevinJDaumMost
everyone would like to be more efficient. Just think, you would
spend less time doing the things that you don't enjoy and more on
the things that bring satisfaction, happiness and profit. Some
people are actually veryadept at efficiency. They manage every
manageable moment so they have more time for themselves to do the
things they love. Here are eight techniques efficient people use to
gain that freedom.
1.Stop MultitaskingMany people fool themselves into thinking
they are good at multitasking. But actually very few can solidly
focus on more than 1 or two tasks, particularly if they require
focus and depth. Theyfool themselvesinto believing they are getting
more done when in reality they are accomplishing less and the
quality of the work is poor. Really efficient people know that
concentrated effort with few distractions leads to better work
product in faster times. Otherwise the work may not be up to par,
which means wasting even more time and energy going back to fix the
mistakes.
2.DelegateSo much productivity is lost when people take on more
than they can accomplish. Don't be inspired by CEOs and leaders who
overload their schedules and burn the midnight oil. Really
efficient people are extremely good atdelegating tasksto others who
will perform them better. When you know how to break down a task
and empower others to contribute effort, you can choose the tasks
most suited for you and crank through them in record time without
distraction.
3.Use Appropriate CommunicationPoor communication is a huge
time-waster. A fast email transmitting bad instructions or an
offensive attitude can end up adding many unnecessary hours to a
project. The masters of efficiency take a little extra time to
think throughtheir communicationin the beginning. They consider
their objectives when deciding to get on the phone. They craft
their emails with purpose using the exact language necessary to get
the desired effect. It takes a little more time at the beginning
but can actually shave days from a project.
4.Apply Structure to the ScheduleWith all the available
scheduling and productivity tools you would think more people would
feel they have a handle on their schedule. And yet often people
feel their schedule drives them instead of the other way around.
Efficiency fanatics create standard routines in their schedule so
they can achieve adisciplined approachand be ready for the
important events. The more you control the calendar, the easier it
is to make room for the unexpected.
5.Give Everything a Proper PlaceA lot of time is wasted chasing
down lost items. Keys, pens and clothing hunts can cause
distraction and frustration, especially when you have something
important to do or somewhere important to be. People get really
efficient from being organized. Establish a home for all the items
you have. Factories thatpractice LEANcreate common homes for
necessary tools of the trade. You can do the same. Organize
clothes, papers and electronics in a way that you can easily find
what you are looking for. It may take you a few extra minutes to
put things away but you'll save a ton of time and irritation from
having to search for what's important.
6.Time ActivitiesDo you really know how much time youspend
productivelyversus how much time you waste? I often know that I am
talking on the phone with someone who takes efficiency seriously
because they tell me when the call is almost over. Efficient people
set a time for each of their tasks and work to keep the schedule.
Try logging your time on conversations and activities for a week.
Then spend the next week setting specific times for similar
activities and work to reduce the times with similar output. You'll
be pleasantly surprised at the gains.
7. Commit to DowntimeTired and overworked people don't perform
well. People pleasers will sacrifice their own downtime thinking
they are benefitting others, but in truth they detract from
productivity. Really efficient people make sure they getrest and
recuperationso they can perform at their peak. Since one amazing
employee can do the work of three average employees, best to let
the team rest up and be top performers.
8.Plan ProjectsEffort is often wasted when people don't have a
clear path to success. Impatience is the direct enemy of
efficiency. Really efficient people know they must take the time to
research and break down a project into basic steps in order to
achieve success consistently. Yes, planning takes a little time.
But considering the challenges, process and responsibilities in
advance will make forclear direction with the team. With good
communication everyone can move confidently and efficiently to
achieve all the objectives in record time.
Like this post? If so,sign up hereand never miss out on Kevin's
thoughts and humor.
