To Be More Productive, Become More Efficient
Devlin Fenton
CEO Engineering, Construction, Technology | YPO Chapter Chair | #entrepreneurship
Do you find yourself struggling to finish your to-do list — even after prioritizing, planning, and delegating? If so, consider whether you could work more efficiently.
Small changes to your work style could end up saving you hours each week.
For instance, before eagerly jumping into a new project, talk to stakeholders about their expectations so that you know what to prioritize. Maybe they want a detailed project plan, but maybe a rough outline would get the job done too.
...talk to stakeholders about their expectations...
It’s also helpful to ask yourself if you could reuse any past work to complete the project at hand. Say you’re preparing a presentation to senior leaders — can you pull language from the proposal it’s based on, or draw on other materials to flesh it out?
Lastly, use timeboxing to organize your efforts: Decide in advance how long you will spend on each task, and stick to it.
Even if you don’t finish everything in the allotted time, timeboxing will help you focus for short bursts of productivity.
Adapted from “5 Strategies for Getting More Work Done in Less Time," by Elizabeth Grace Saunders