Be More Efficient So You Can Get More Done
It’s no secret that some people seem to be more efficient than others. We all have the same amount of time. Read on for 4 ways on becoming more efficient and boosting your productivity.
Ask the Lord to show you where you’re stuck and how to get unstuck.
He knows what’s really going on under it all.
Whether you’re stuck, lazy, or just burned out and need some time off and need to enlist more help.
I remember a while back.
I was beating myself up inside. My chores at home went undone and all I wanted to do was watch TV when I got home from work or had a day off.
Every.single.time.
Then, I had an opportunity to take 2 weeks straight off of work.
We went on a tour of some National Parks for 10 days.
When we got back, I had a few days left before heading back to work. I felt amazingly refreshed.
I got so much done around my house before going back to work.
It was then as I reflected that I realized I hadn’t been lazy at all. Just burned out and in dire need of some time with nature taking in God’s beauty around me, and away from the chaos of home and work.
I hadn’t scheduled enough of what my Life Coach calls, “Do-You Time,” and I was overwhelmed and burnt out.
Maximize Your Best Time of the Day
Many people have their best amount of energy right after waking up in the morning.
Not a morning person, you say?
Neither am I.
But I notice, especially as I get older, that my energy wanes as the day goes on and I’m less efficient at doing things.
I find I get the most chores or other things done when I have some time alone in the morning before the kids get up.
It’s quiet and I don’t have to worry about what they are or aren’t doing. Especially on the weekends or during school breaks when I also don’t have to rush off to an appointment or work.
If you find you have sufficient energy in the afternoon or evening, and there are no kids or other people to distract you, then take advantage!
Schedule it on your calendar, then use the next tip to make it happen!
If you’re needing time at work to get certain things done and keep getting interrupted, perhaps requesting 45 minutes or an hour of uninterrupted time to yourself to take care of those things daily will help you not feel overwhelmed and be able to get those tasks done. This is definitely harder in some jobs than others.
Remember, too – it IS possible to pray and ask God to open up a daily time slot for you to get the things done with minimal or no interruptions.
He is the keeper of time and can do that for us.
Keep putting Him first.
And don’t forget to watch for that open time slot and use it wisely.
making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
Ephesians 5:16
He longs to bless us. Blessings aren’t always monetary.
Set a Timer and Challenge Yourself
If I challenge myself to work against time (say 15 or 30 minutes to complete certain tasks), or if I push myself to beat a previous record, I can work towards that goal and get more done than I thought (or than I previously had gotten done).
Between praying and asking God to help me break through my previous metrics at work, and listening to fast workout music while I worked (faster music so I could do my job to the faster beat), I ended up being one of the top performers in my building for the company.
I was able to get more done in the same amount of time, while still retaining good quality.
List Out Everything You Do, With Timeframes
This one doesn’t work ongoing. You can’t do it long-term. Your mind will get weary of this, as it feels like another race, which will get old fast.
But if you do this for a couple days, you will start to notice where you’re slacking and can work to eliminate the distractions.
Here’s how it works:
Go about your normal business, but keep track of when you start something and when you finish it. Write that down on the paper.
Example: 8:02-8:13, cleaned bathrooms
8:13-8:20 called Dr, called pharmacy
8:20-8:22 bathroom break
Etc
Do you see why it gets old? You have to constantly know when you’re starting and stopping things.
It really helps you be conscious of being productive and not looking at social media – at least for a day or two. That’s when your brain gets fatigued at keeping all those times and it says, enough of this.
I discovered that when I started doing this, the accountability of having to account for every minute made me oh-so-efficient suddenly! It was unbelievable what I was able to get done just knowing I had to write down everything I was doing and not wanting to be caught wasting any time.
Not that I was showing it to anyone. Nor will you be.
These are tips the Lord has shown me over the years, and they work in conjunction with our Creating Spaces series. The first course in the series, Creating Spaces in Your Schedule, is absolutely free.
For more tips on streamlining your time and getting more done, sign up here to get your FREE 5-day ‘Creating Spaces in Your Schedule’ (formerly known as 5 Days to Schedule-Freedom) mini-course sent to your inbox!
What tricks do you have that have worked for you to boost your efficiency and productivity? We would love to hear about them in the comments.
