Work Efficiency And How To Maximize Potential

Everyone wants to put their best foot forward in their occupation to make the greatest impact. And despite fears that working from home equates to less productivity, data analysis from the Mexico Autonomous Institute of Technology states that efficiency and productivity at home was 7% higher than expected.

As offices reopen, it’s normal to feel worried about losing some of that efficient work ethic that you’re so accustomed to. 

However, you can work efficiently and effectively from anywhere with just a few simple tips.

What Does it Mean to Be Efficient?

Efficiency can be defined as reaching your peak level of performance by using the least amount of input. In other words, it’s doing as little work as possible to still produce the most successful outcome at the end of the workday.

Inefficiency, on the other hand, inefficiency means that you’re doing a ton of work, but still producing an undesirable outcome. Inefficient employees aren’t necessarily lazy or unskilled. Instead, they are just approaching their to-do lists in the wrong way.

Tips & Tricks

It’s easy to become distracted during your workday because of push notifications, text message pings, and other stimuli. One of the best ways to improve efficiency is by cutting out distractions where possible. 

Do this by placing your technological devices on do not disturb, or finding a way to signal to coworkers that you’re in the zone. On services like Slack, you can change your status on services like Slack to let your fellow employees know that it’s not a good time to be bothered.

Also, make sure your workspace is comfortable and without distractions. In a remote setting, you can easily tailor your home office to be as work-oriented as possible. But in a physical office, this can be easier said than done. 

Try to find a “third space” in your office that is quiet and without distraction, when possible.

Prioritize

When it comes to working effectively, one of the main qualities you’ll need to possess is the ability to prioritize the most important tasks. For instance, a time-sensitive meeting takes precedence over an email regarding an event months from now. 

Prioritizing your responsibilities will not only make you more productive, but it will save you a ton of stress down the line.

Maximize Organization

It’s hard to be productive when you don’t even know what’s coming next. This stresses the importance of staying organized throughout your workday.

The proper organization lets you multitask with ease, allowing you to get more done without the added frustration. You can maximize this facet by inputting tasks into your schedule, keeping your physical workspace clean, and rewarding yourself with incentives for a job well done. This helps keep your mind at ease, and it also keeps you motivated.

Use To Do Lists

Your brain can only handle so much on its own, and when your workload becomes too much to handle, it’s easy to let things fall through the cracks. Enhance efficiency by using to-do lists.

Not only do these let you visually see your upcoming tasks, so you don’t forget about an upcoming deadline, but they can also give you major satisfaction as you cross off your tasks.

Hire Someone To Do Mundane Tasks (Secretary, Virtual Assistant)

It’s important to remember that you’re only one person, and sometimes it’s just not possible to complete every single item on your list. If possible, it’s always great to build your team by hiring employees to do more of the mundane office work.

You can easily allocate things like scheduling, answering phone calls, or conducting daily office tasks to another employee. This will help you to focus on the time sensitive items that take priority.

The Pomodoro Technique

It’s easy to think that maximizing efficiency means working non-stop without taking any breaks. However, the reality is that taking breaks is essential so that you don’t become burnt out.

The Pomodoro technique is a quintessential method for striking a balance between work and relaxation. Essentially, you’ll work uninterrupted for 25 minutes before taking a break for five minutes. After repeating this four times, you’ll earn yourself a two hour break.

This time management method is an effective way to allow yourself to get as much quality work done as possible while still allowing yourself to enjoy some time for other things that make you feel happy.

Use an App Designed To Optimize Your Efficiency

While your smartphone is home to many distractions that can uproot your efficiency, it is also home to many applications that can completely revolutionize your ability to conduct successful work without much effort.

Dialed is a business phone number with contact management and marketing capabilities that can optimize certain aspects of your daily work. For instance, you can send promotional blast messages to all of your customers at one time to let them know about new services or other features.

You can also set up auto-reply messages to save you some time and trouble. It can also work to block spam and robocalls to limit your distractions, focus on the clients that actually matter to your business, and protect your business’s phone number.

Conclusion

Efficiency at work is not only important to foster growth at your company. It’s also essential for your own mental health, as it allows you to complete your work without overextending your resources.

You can amplify efficiency with some simple tricks like using the Pomodoro technique, focusing on organization, or using an app to help optimize your performance. 

Dialed is the macro tool for your micro business if you're ready to work smarter, not harder.

Sources:

Are we really more productive working from home? | Chicago Booth Review

Efficiency Definition | Investopedia

10 Quick Tips for Avoiding Distractions at Work | Harvard Business Review

The Pomodoro Technique: An Effective Time Management Tool | NICHD Connection