Work with a clean desk – A study on productivity found that, “The average desk worker has 36 hours worth of work on their desk and wastes up to 3 hours a week just ‘looking’ for STUFF!” Clean your desk to work more effectively.
Keep a time log – It is a good idea to analyze your use of time. Periodically select a typical week and gather data on your daily routine. Look at the data for areas where you could improve your use of time and develop an action plan to make the improvements.
Use a to-do list – Some people use a To-Do list which they complete last thing in the day or first thing in the morning. Some people combine a To-Do list with a calendar or schedule. Others prefer a “running” To-Do list which is continuously being updated. There are a number of ways to keep a To-Do list. Pick the method that works best for you.
Set your priorities – When you have to choose which task on your to-do list to address next, compare the relevant importance of the tasks. For example, “Which is more important for me to do right now? Maintaining client relationships or marketing the business?”
Delegate effectively – You can’t do everything yourself. Even Superman needed Jimmy Olsen. Learn to discern those things that you must do from those that can be done more effectively by someone else; both in the office and at home.
Use the 80:20 Rule – The 80-20 Rule was originally postulated by the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto. He noted that 80 percent of the reward comes from 20 percent of the effort. The trick is to isolate and identify the 20 percent. Once identified, prioritise time to concentrate your work on those items with the greatest reward.
Relax – You don’t have an endless supply of energy and drive. Now and again you need to take some time to re-charge your batteries.
