5 Methods to Improve Productivity & Efficiency

Most people could benefit from improving efficiency and becoming more productive in all aspects of life, whether it's your job, grocery shopping, managing your email inbox, paying your bills, etc.

Proper planning and simple steps taken can pay dividends and ultimately make a big impact on your life. Here are some easy things you can do everyday to get things done:

Take 5

Everyday, dedicate 5 minutes in the morning to plan what you need to accomplish in that day. The more detailed you can get the better. If you can plan your day down to buckets of time to complete specific tasks - then do it.

As your day winds down, take 5 minutes before you go to bed to reflect on the day. What was accomplished? How did you progress towards your goals? What problems were solved? What new problems need to be addressed? Document the days' important moments and milestones.

If you commit yourself to doing this everyday, you are sure to get more accomplished than if you blindly attack each day. And by doing so, you are creating a journal, or a log of what you are doing to reach your goals, how you are addressing life's problems, etc. Then at the end of each week, each month, each year - you can again reflect back upon your performance. Becoming more conscious of how you are utilizing your time is key to becoming more efficient and productive in life and in business.

Do it 7 Times in a Row

Develop weekly challenges and do something to better yourself for 7 days. This creates a foundation to build upon. Once you get used to disciplining yourself for a week you begin to build the confidence needed to attack bigger and better obstacles. If you are persistent in setting and achieving 7 day challenges, you learn how strong you can be and that you can accomplish anything that you set your mind to. Try it out and make sure you again keep a log or journal of your challenges and what it took to complete the challenge.

The 3 D's

I love the rule of the 3 D's - Do it, Delegate it, or Delete it. Are you unorganized? Do you procrastinate? Is your inbox always full? If you keep in mind and live by the 3 D's - you will most likely simplify your life, reduce clutter and become quite a bit more productive. The basis of this rule is to not put things off. Life's lessons have taught us that putting something off makes it instantly harder and tougher to deal with.

Begin with the End

Learning to visualize can prove to be such a valuable tool for success. Think about it. How can you really come to the end if you don't know where you are going? Not only does visualizing help you plan, but it can be a foundation for ideas and getting yourself organized. Before you start any project, business, task - spend as much time as it takes to identify exactly what you expect to accomplish and exactly what the desirable end result is going to be. Do not start something without planning first. Again, documentation and tracking your progress is crucial.

Attitude is Everything

There are so many great quotes on attitude. I have commented on a few in prior posts. The one thing you can control when you wake up everyday is your attitude - and it shows. Your attitude becomes very transparent and it shines through your work. Having the right attitude can be the difference between being highly productive or being unorganized and unproductive. When you wake up, tell yourself how lucky you are to have today to make a difference in your life - and someone else's life for that matter.

Reflection is critical. As you may have noticed, in all 5 methods to improve your efficiency as a person in life, keeping record of your actions and behavior is essential for continuous growth.