Do you equate hours with productivity?
My cousin was my best friend and my study partner, during my engineering.
I was a reckless and carefree student. Yes, that’s right!
And by no means I could study alone, all by myself and could pass in the exams 😀
So Bhanu(my cousin) was my saviour. She was also an engineering student and we would make sure to stay with each other during our exams to keep each other company.
But she hated me for the fact that I hardly spent a few hours preparing for my exams but still outscored her.
“How do you do it?”
Well! I could never answer her question then, but now when I think of it, I guess I pretty much know the trick!
Do you feel you are not doing enough if you spend only 6-7 hours a day on your office work whereas your colleague stays at work the latest and claims to work the hardest?
Does working very hard also means getting a lot done and delivering best results?
A very common notion is that the longer you work, the more will be the output.
Nah!!
Let’s talk and understand Efficiency today.
Efficiency in the workplace means when employees carry out the correct tasks in the right way, with the least waste of time and effort.
Less effort and time here is not synonymous to being sluggish and lazy. Instead, it’s about optimizing your time and effort.
Here are some ways of being efficient:
- Manage your time by creating a to-do list. Establish Deadlines.
- Stay away from digital distractions!
- Prioritize the tasks. Not everything can be done today. Night owl or a morning person, choose your most efficient hours for the day for all the strategic and creative work. Do not get caught up in emails, all day.
- Organize your workstation. Yes, you read it right. A cluttered working space leads to a hassled mind. Use stationary organizers, filing folders and some cute décor for your desk.
You can thank me later for the impact.
- Do take breaks! Yes. Coffee, lunch with the team, just taking a stroll around the office, all of this helps you to rejuvenate and in turn be more efficient. And! Be reasonable with your break timings too. You do not want to spend all that time in just trying to be efficient and not being one.
- Do not shy away from delegating or asking for help. Half of the blockers evaporate when you discuss it. Team work is always a saviour.
- Morning meetings with your manager and team are always a great kick-start to a planned and hence more efficient day.
- Multi-tasking isn’t a must. Focus on one task at a time, based on the priority list.
Efficient and productive employees are the most important business asset. We often don’t achieve our goals not because we are lazy or inefficient, but because we’re not inspired enough. Know the why behind every task at hand. At least once a day, check in with yourself and make sure the tasks you’re working on are truly important.
We’ll all still have mundane tasks we don’t love – but that must get done.
To learn more about workplace culture and how you can be more productive, read about the Unspoken Rules of the Workplace.
