This time round I have been struggling for a topic for my blog and also fitting in the time to write it. With this in mind it struck me I could write a blog on being more efficient at work, that might just help each and every one of us find time to do tasks such as this.

Some of these points are obvious and in reality this may just serve as a small reminder of what we already know.

1. Keep a clean orderly work space. Achieving efficiency at work can sometimes be as simple as clearing the clutter from your work area. A disorderly work area is a work area that can hinder your productivity. If you’re constantly struggling to find specific tools or documents in a mountain of clutter, serious work time is being wasted.

2. Keep your workplace well-stocked. Make sure that you have the supplies and tools needed to do your job. In an office, this means you should have things such as hole-punches, staple removers, calculators, etc. at the ready. Outside of an office setting, the tools are different, but the fundamental principles are the same.

3. Keep a consolidated schedule. Organize each day by creating a “to do” list. Begin with the highest priorities of the day so that they are most likely to get done. Put less important tasks at the end the list. Start at the top of the list at the beginning of your work day. If you do not complete the list by the end of the day, tackle the uncompleted items the next day.

4. Eliminate your personal distractions. Different work places have different distractions – some jobs may come with a particularly talkative coworker who just won’t leave you alone. Others might be oppressively silent, causing you to get distracted by even the quietest noises. Do what you must to make sure you can stay focused on your work.

If your job allows you to safely listen to music, take an MP3 player to work with you. You might even consider posting notes at your work station notifying coworkers not to distract you. It might seem rude, but it’s not – it’s a reasonable and effective method to get people to leave you alone while you’re working.

Remember, you can socialize to your heart’s content during breaks and meals.

5. Break your responsibilities into manageable pieces. Big projects can be intimidating – if they’re big enough, it’s easy to put them off, wasting time on less-important work until you’re forced to tackle the entire project right up against the deadline. As an efficient worker, you should do important work first, even when that means doing a small part of a large task. It doesn’t feel as rewarding to do a small part of a big task as it does to complete an entire small task, but it’s a smart use of your time. In the long run, you’ll finish your most important tasks faster if you work on them a little bit every day.

6. Keep meetings lean. Meetings can be vital for discussing goals and establishing a forward vision. Left unchecked, however, meetings all too often become bloated affairs, eating up hours (or in extreme cases, even days) of your time without anything important being decided.

Here’s a few tips to make your meetings as effective as possible:

• Establish an agenda before every meeting so that the time set aside is used to its full potential.
• Include time frames in which certain topics of discussion should be addressed.
• Stick to your agenda as much as you can – if other topics arise, recommend they be discussed later via a one-on-one office discussion.

7. Nip office/site drama in the bud. Workplaces can, unfortunately, be terribly stressful places. If tempers flare, address any ill will immediately and directly. This may mean you, the person you’re fighting with, or both of you need to make sincere apologies. Do this sooner rather than later. If you let a few fights fester into a grudge, your efficiency will suffer in the long run as you waste time working around this person and avoiding him/her in the workplace. More importantly, you’ll be miserable – don’t let workplace drama ruin your efficiency and your mood!

I know there was quite a bit to read in this blog but hopefully if you’ve got this far there may have been a few useful reminders we all know but don’t always put into practice. These may help take the pressure off when we’re running round trying to fit too much into each working day.

Read through our blogs to find out about the changes we have made to ensure our working practices are as efficient as possible.