More efficiency, More organization, More achievement!

Get ideas on becoming more efficient personally and professionally to save time, energy, and other vital resources. Choose up to three of the ideas to put into daily practice, turning them into habits and routines.

You have heard of "efficiency" before, but most often in a different context. It is frequently used when discussing electricity, energy, economics, business, manufacturing, machinery, and fuel consumption.  The word itself has a good connotation.  It refers to using the least resources to yield the most results.  Would this same meaning also apply to people?  Can human beings build personal efficiency?  The answer is yes!  By learning effective planning, time management, and organizing skills, people can be highly efficient in the things they do.

Here are some interesting facts and statistics about efficiency:

• Over 80% of people do not have an effective time management system.
• One of every 4 businesses says they want to invest more in operational efficiency.
• 35% of employees say time management is the most significant obstacle to their productivity.
• 88% of people report procrastinating at work daily.
• 90% of people admit to wasting time at work.

Time management, productivity, and efficiency are all closely related.  One affects the other.  Effective time management plus organization yield more efficiency, which equals more productivity.  And productivity is not just at work or in business; it's in everyday life.  The more productive you are, the more effectively you will reach goals and follow through on plans.

Essentially, personal efficiency can help you do much more in less time.  You'll increase your productivity and accomplish more personal and professional goals with the least amount of energy, time, and other resources.  Here are some other benefits:

• Achieving more goals on time
• Using time wisely
• More productivity
• Better quality of life
• More success
• More opportunities
• Boost of self-confidence
• Better reputation
• Focus on what's important
• Stronger self-discipline
• Less stress

Think about everything you want to accomplish in the next year, 5 and 10 years.  Are you trying to travel more?  Are you trying to change a career?  Do you want to go into leadership?  Do you want to write a book?  Are you trying to increase your education?  Do you have plans to start a family?  How can you ensure they become a reality?  How do you follow through with your plans and achieve those goals with as few distractions as possible?  The answer is increasing personal efficiency.

Here is a simple, organized, and practical process to follow to be more intentional about increasing personal efficiency:

a) Articulate your vision and goal.

Vision:  Being a more efficient person to accomplish and achieve more

SMART goal:  I will improve my personal efficiency within the next 6 months.

b) Write down the goal.

Writing down your goals makes the process of achieving them far more likely. Research shows that those who write it down hold themselves accountable more and increase their chances of success by 1.4 times. Click HERE to download and use a goal template by Efficiency and Organization.

c) Get yourself in the right mindset that you will achieve the goal.  You will not give up.  

d) Choose 3 to 5 action daily action plans. 

Use some of the examples provided below.

e) Get a planner, and write down the daily and weekly action plans.  In other words, calendar the tasks to hold yourself accountable for achieving them.

Use a digital or paper planner with a calendar.  It will help you stay organized and intentional with everything you do!

e) Place the written goal and action plans somewhere highly visible to refer to frequently. 

g) Conduct a self-reflection once a week at a set time to determine whether you are committed to your goal.

Use this self-reflection form by Efficiency and Organization.  Click HERE to download or on the image below.

Here are 25 ways to improve personal efficiency. To avoid feeling overwhelmed, choose up to 3 of the tips to work on at one time.  Write them down, and monitor your progress weekly.  

From the time you wake up, you have to have your priorities set to know exactly what to work on.  What are the top priority tasks and projects you need to complete?  Make sure those tasks are worthwhile and bring you closer and closer to achieving personal and professional goals.

To be highly productive, you must have an effective morning, daytime, and evening routine geared toward accomplishing and achieving your goals.  Your goals may revolve around resting, vacationing, reading, acquiring new knowledge, starting and growing a business, finishing a degree, becoming promoted, and more!  Whatever your life goals and aspirations are, your morning, daytime, and evening routines must be geared toward achieving them. 

Begin each day with the right mindset. Talk yourself up!  Motivate yourself by repeating that you can handle it.  Get in the zone to accomplish, achieve, and be productive!  Think goals, goals, goals (whether fun goals, creative goals, or professional goals).  Here are some things you can do to have the mindset and energy to continue achieving all day long:

• Get yourself a cup of coffee.
• Listen to energizing music on the way to work.
• Consider taking sneakers to wear at work to help you stay active, allowing blood to flow throughout the day.
• Read 2 to 3 motivational quotes in the morning.
• Try meditating briefly as soon as you wake up.
• Wake up earlier than usual and exercise for 30 minutes before getting dressed to get pumped up.
• Repeat motivational and self-affirming phrases in your head during your commute, like, "I got this," or "I'm going to slay the day today."
• Think of a reward you will give yourself after you tackle a hectic day or week, like going to a spa, going wine tasting, or giving yourself the entire afternoon on Sunday to do things you like and enjoy.  That reward will keep you going when stress and pressure peak.
• If possible, work standing up and get up from your chair often to keep the blood flowing through your body and help you stay energized.

You will not feel accomplished unless you have an organized list of things you want to accomplish daily.  Make a to-do list.  Put H (high), M (medium), or L (low) next to each item to indicate which ones are high, medium, or low priority.  Block 1-hour periods into your day to accomplish each task.  Click on the image below to get the downloadable to-do template from Efficiency and Organization.  You can also make one for yourself after using the template as a guide.

Think of each item on your to-do list as a challenge in a video game.  You're playing the game; the more challenges you can complete, the faster you'll win.  When you gamify the things you need to get done, you trick your brain into thinking it's a fun game you're playing, thereby making the boring, mundane, and undesirable things that need to get done!

Being efficient is about doing things quickly but accurately.  Shortcuts lead to efficiency.  Here are some examples:

• Not using dishes when eating snacks to avoid having to wash them afterward
• Cooking using a single pot (to avoid having too many dishes to wash)
• Using computer keyboard shortcuts
• Owning gadgets that will help speed up processes at home
• Texting instead of calling 
• Listening to an audiobook while doing something else at the same time (instead of reading)
• Having microwavable foods and snacks in your work pantry or work refrigerator to avoid having to run to get food during busy days
• Having the closet organized in outfits for easy grab-and-wear
• Owning a few black slacks to just change shirts and tops each day
• Not having too many items on tops of furniture or walls to avoid spending time cleaning and dusting them
• Having just enough pairs of shoes set up by colors for easy grab-and-go in the mornings
• Using dry shampoo instead of washing hair every day

You do not have time to search for supplies, documents, keys, tools, forms, equipment, etc.  Everything must be highly accessible from organized locations for easy retrieval.  If you have a messy workspace and cannot locate things, the 5 to 15 minutes spent looking will cost you at the end of the day.  Every minute counts!

Here are some simple strategies to be organized within your workspace:

• Sort to put similar items together.
• Make labels.
• Use drawer organizers.
• Use cabinet organizers.
• Put related documents in folders.
• Use a desk organizer.
• Have only documents on your desk that you are currently working on and file away others.
• Do not have a cluttered computer desktop.
• Use binders.
• Declutter, shred and throw out things you have not needed or used in the past 2 years.
• Use an inbox tray.
• Keep your email inbox organized and decluttered.
• Use a planner and a calendar (or a combination).
• Use a timer.
• Minimize the personal effects.

Notifications include some of the following:

• Emails
• Apps
• Text messages
• Telephone calls
• Television
• Radio

At work, there are times when it's swamped, but there are also times when it's slower or quieter.  How you use those times makes a tremendous difference.  You can take it easy and be lucid, or capitalize on those downtimes by working as hard as possible to get ahead.  If you are ahead, you won't feel so overwhelmed when the time comes to rush!

If you are a procrastinator, set deadlines for all your tasks, projects, and items on the to-do list.  As your deadline approaches, finish the task. Doing so will give you a feeling of ease and relief, knowing what you needed to do was done promptly.  Also, re-evaluate your tasks and projects.  If some are not important or necessary, get it off of your list and mind completely.  

Decide what you do daily that does not add value or unnecessarily steal minutes from you that you cannot return.  Curtail or eliminate to make time for other things.  The minutes count if they add up.  For example, you might discover that saving 5 minutes each day for 6 days on grooming will give you an additional 30 minutes on Sundays to go walk, do yoga, or exercise!  Again, the minutes add up and must be used wisely!

Here are 5 examples of things you can do differently:

• Save 1 hour each week on scrolling through social media to use that time to exercise.
• Save 30 minutes each day playing games on my phone to read, play games, and have conversations with my friends and family.
• Save 10 minutes each day deciding on outfits and make an extra hour each week for job searching.
• Leave work on time to save 3 hours each week for studying and school-related activities.
• Cut down on grooming time to get an additional 1 hour each week to explore side business options. 

Energy levels fluctuate throughout the day (Circadian rhythms).  For most people, peak energy times are in the morning.  For a small percentage of others, it peaks at night.  Figure out when you are at your peak and use that time as wisely as possible, concentrating on tasks, projects, and jobs that are highly essential.  

 One of the first steps to becoming more organized and well-managed with time is to get a planner with a calendar to take note of important dates, events, and activities.  Whether you want to use a digital calendar, like Outlook, Google, various apps available, or a paper calendar, using them will benefit your life and mental health.  You will have more vital follow-through skills and more self-discipline as a result! 

Work on your self-care to be productive and efficient with time.  You cannot perform at your best if you are tired, anxious, upset, and lacking energy.  Here are the areas of concern:

• Sleep
• Diet
• Exercise
• Mental relaxation
• Exposure to light

Depending on the nature of the tasks, some can be combined to maximize productivity. For instance, you can commute while listening to a self-help book, wait in line while studying flashcards for school, or watch a show while exercising on a treadmill. Think of ways to combine tasks to maximize your efficiency and improve your time management.

Your time and resources are valuable.  Use them wisely and efficiently.  Do a time audit to see how you are spending your time.  At least 50% of the things you do each day should be directly or indirectly linked to your short-term and long-term goals to achieve success.  Here are step-by-step guides on how to do a time audit to figure out where you have deficiencies and what adjustments can be made:

• How to Restructure the Day to Have More Time
• How to Create and Use a Time Audit Worksheet to Manage Time
• How to Do a Time Audit (5 Strategies for Saving Time)

Since every minute counts, set a timer for various tasks, jobs, and projects.  The minutes and seconds can escape you.  Build better efficiency by setting a timer to get low-priority and less significant tasks you need to finish faster (washing dishes, putting shoes on, making the bed, wiping furniture, etc.).

All the essential tools you need for your line of work must be near you for easy grab and use so as not to waste time.  For instance, if you are a hair stylist, think of what 5 to 10 things you need to keep near you and memorize where the places are.  If you are an architect, use 5 to 10 things you need to always keep with you at your workstation.  Just be careful with some of the following:

• Do not overstock.  Looking for things in piles can lead to wasted time.
• Have a place for everything to keep your spaces organized.
• Store things on the computer instead of physical spaces such as file cabinets if possible. Create neat folders on your desktop, on your Google Drive, and in your email inbox. Store similar items in those categories for easy retrieval and reference in the future.

People around us are influencers and those who inspire us the most to act or not act in a certain way. They will inspire you to act like them and do much more in less time.

When waiting in line, think of ways to use that time wisely and efficiently. Can you respond to emails while you wait? Can you call a customer service line to ask about a bill? Can you delete items from your inbox? Can you set appointments?  Use wait times as productively as possible.

Here are some things you can do throughout the day to keep up with your energy and focus:

• Stay hydrated.
• Eat healthy snacks while you work.
• Remove distracting things around you, such as mementos, photos, and jewelry. You may like those things very much and treasure their meanings, but if they are distracting, get rid of them from your immediate view.
• Refer to motivational quotes in front of you and on your walls to stay inspired.
• Set a timer to work in small increments, then take quick breaks.

Here are examples:

• Gossip
• Chit-chats
• Longer than necessary breaks
• Scrolling through social media posts
• Whining/complaining
• Overthinking
• Decorating 
• Sending personal texts
• Looking for things in disorganized piles
• Staying on the phone too long with someone when you have nothing to talk about
• Hanging out with toxic people 
• Online shopping

Negative thoughts about the past can get in your way of moving forward.  Don't go down that rabbit hole!  It doesn't matter what happened in the past as long as you learned from mistakes.  Focus on the present and the future!

When working on tasks, stay focused on your top priorities.  Do the tasks that have deadlines approaching and you consider undesirable.  In other words, get the things you dislike done first and spend the rest of the day focused on things that you find more appealing!

Being more efficient can improve the quality of your life by reducing waste (both tangible and intangible) and freeing up more resources for what matters to you.  Follow the simple process to become more efficient in your life and enjoy the benefits that come with it:  more achievement, more accomplishments, more success, a boost of self-confidence, and stronger self-esteem.

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Ruzanna Krdilyan Hernandez, Ed.D. is an award-winning educator and content creator writing books/articles on efficiency, organizing skills, productivity, goal-setting, time management, planning, self-development, and achieving more in life. Hernandez is the author of efficiencyandorganization.com, which focuses on six areas:

Personal life

Personal finances

Small business owners

Educators

Students

Careers

She writes in these focus areas on how people in every aspect of life can achieve more by being more organized and efficient with their processes to become consistent, timely, and successful. She is an expert and a lifelong learner of organization, time management, personal efficiency, and goal achievement. This article shares some of her strategies and other researched and proven tips, techniques, and strategies. The book, Efficiency and Organization, is available on Amazon.  Her second book, Organization and Efficiency in Personal Finances, is also released and available on Amazon.  Efficiency and Organization's YouTube channel has over 100 helpful videos.  

Disclaimer:  As an Amazon Associate, I get earnings on qualified purchases. 

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