You might be productive but are you efficient enough?

We’ve talked a lot about productivity lately. We’ve discussed how technology can help you personally be more productive and how you can use it to keep your whole team on point. But what about efficiency?
Productive people aren’t necessarily efficient; they can get the job done, but sometimes at a considerable cost. I’ll take efficient any day. So let’s talk about some simple technology-aided tweaks you can do to keep yourself both productive and efficient.

How to Be More Efficient In Five Steps

We recommend doing these steps in order. While you can pick and choose from the points below and get some benefits, they work best synergistically.

Let’s start with getting real.

1. Count minutes to make your time count. There’s a limit to how much you can do in a day, and it’s not solely dictated by hours. It’s also dictated by you. For example, I'm not a fast writer. I am not a super-slow writer either, but I know that it may take me longer to write a blog post than it may take someone else. So I don’t hold myself to anyone else’s standard for speed; I work at a pace that lets me produce a quality post.However, it took me a while to figure this out. While some people can bang out three articles in an hour, I’ve learned I can’t do that. And I learned it by timing myself. I actually use an app to keep track of time, especially on new projects. This gives me a realistic idea of what I can and can’t expect to accomplish in a day, week, or month.Make your plans based on what you can do, not what someone else can. Time yourself, and be realistic in setting your schedule.

Speaking of which:
2. Remind yourself that you have a schedule. In a previous post, I talked about time chunking — setting aside, say, an hour to answer emails each morning. But what if you don’t have the best track record with time management?Time management isn’t an inborn talent for most people; it’s a learned skill. It takes time to master. So give yourself a helping hand by letting technology do the heavy lifting. If you use Google Calendar, for example, you can create time in your schedule for each "chunked" activity. Add an alarm notification and let your phone do the reminding.3. Keep everything in one place. The amount of time that the human race has lost looking for misplaced things must be staggering. Rather than having to hunt through your network or computer for your files, keep them in one place — consistently. I especially do this with active project files. Once they’re done, I archive them according to the project name. Either way, I know exactly where they are when I need them. If you’re a Google Apps for Work customer, Google Drive is a great place to keep 

files, especially if you’re going to try your hand at Step Five.

4. Reject distractions. (Cough social media cough.) This is another thing we’ve covered before, but let’s all say it together: There is no such thing as a quick look at your FB/Snapchat/Instagram accou

nt. That’s 20 minutes gone, people.

 Save it for your break, and turn off 

those efficiency-shattering notifications during work hours.

5. Work away from the office. Most telecommu

ters will tell you that they feel more productive working away from the office. Change it up occasionally; a day in the seclusion of your home office can be ideal for tasks requiring deep focus. (If you have kids, pets, and other adults at home, though, your results may vary.) Storing your project files on Google Drive is a great way to stay connected during these days.Efficiency is the child of good habits. And having the right technology definitely helps. Contact Techsperts today and we’ll make sure your tech is doing its part toward keeping you productive and efficient.