Efficiency is something I deeply value (maybe I should have been a production plant manager haha). I just don’t like wasting time. It just feels like a shame because it is a finite commodity that you’ll never back. Every week I strive to be a little more efficient. If we can just be a little more efficient every week, just think about how much can be accomplished. Here are 5 easy ways to become more efficient immediately.

1. Go to the gym

Before I regularly went to the gym, I used to think it would take up too much time and make me less efficient because I would be tired.

Boy was I wrong! Going to the gym and getting a workout is great. Not only is it healthy, but it really gets the blood pumping and delivers oxygen and other nutrients to your body to help your cardiovascular system run better. In short: it gives you more energy!

After every sweaty workout I feel great. I become more focused and ready to tackle new projects. Plus, it’s a great way to get some stress off your chest.

If you’re not a morning person, I highly recommend doing a quick morning jog or workout to get the blood pumping. It’ll definitely improve your day pretty quick. Personally, I like to get my workout done at night (7:30 PM or 8:30 PM) so I can be fresh and get some late night work one.

2. Multi-task in your ‘down time’

I’m generally not a fan of multi-tasking. In fact, studies have shown that multi-tasking reduces efficiency and increases the probability of mistakes. However, in certain situations, it can actually be quite effective.

I multi-task a lot at the gym of all places. Before I go in to do my workout, I like to have some reading material. I’ll send myself a half dozen blog posts I want to read, a few news articles to catch up on world events, and maybe even get a kindle book.

When I’m at the gym, I’ll need to take natural breaks in between lifting sets. I usually rest for 1.5 to 2 minutes between sets, so this gives me time to read those blog posts. Other times, I’ll actually use this time to type up a blog post or an important email.

And if I’m on a spin bike, I’ll be sure to listen to a podcast or something similar. The point is I’m using the natural downtime from resting at the gym for other purposes. My muscles may need to relax, but my brain can still work during that time!

There are many situations like this. If you take the bus to work maybe you can use this time to type up a blog post on your phone or catch up on work emails. If you’re waiting at the school to pick up the kids maybe you can do the same thing.

The point is leveraging natural downtime in your daily activities to get some more work done!

3. Find your optimal working time

Finding your optimal working time is important to get the most work done. Everyone’s bodies are different, so you need to find out what works best for you.

I find that I’m most alert and able to tackle hard projects early in the morning (6:00 AM to 10:30 AM) and later at night (5:00 PM to 11:00 PM). During the middle of the day (after lunch), I’m pretty much a corpse and my brain function shuts down. In fact, I regularly take naps after eating lunch to relax a bit and get back some energy. I call it my “food coma”!

Find out when you are most alert and use that time to get important projects done. When I’m tired I try to work on easier projects and tasks at work. This usually includes replying to emails, catching up on some news, building spreadsheets, and even a little data entry.

4. Perform different tasks 

Everyone has a ‘burn out’ point when working on the same task. After a while, you’ll just get so tired you can’t even think. Maybe you’re hungry and can’t concentrate anymore. The point is, it’s pointless to try to plow through after reaching the breaking point. In these situations, I try to switch work on a different task.

I can only write for a few hours before my brain fries up from thinking so much. Even professional authors will have a difficult time writing for so long. Instead, you should work on something else.

Maybe it would be nice to get a run or your workout out of the way to refresh the brain. Maybe it would be a good time to go pick up the groceries for the week. Or maybe it should be time to read the book on a new subject you’re trying to learn.

More recently when I’m burned out of writing my blog I switch over to making videos for an Udemy course I’ve been slowly working on. I might be too tired to write things, but I’m not too tired to talk on video and give a lecture!

The point is when your brain might be burned out from one activity, but it will be fresh to tackle another.

5. Be more busy

To be more efficient, I find that I need to be busier. That sounds a bit counter-intuitive because taking on too much can be a big burden.

What I mean by this, is you want to keep yourself busy with tasks so you don’t feel complacent.

Sometimes I feel like this at work or when I’m doing my own side hustles. When I start a new project and feel like I’m getting ahead, my mind tends to “switch off” and relax because I’m so far ahead.

It happened to me a few weeks ago! At work I got this big project from a client. It was a two week thing right before thanksgiving. During the first few days I plowed right through this thing. I read all the documents, began typing up my report, and really got ahead of the curve. Tunnel vision all the way!

However, I really got complacent after that. I began saying “you know, I’m so far ahead maybe I can afford to slack off a little today.”

That’s a bad habit!

It’s something new I’ve noticed and something I’ve been trying to correct.

One way I found to tackle this issue is just to become more busy. If I know I have another project lined up or if I know I’ll be out of town and won’t have another opportunity to finish something I’ll be more inclined to work harder and finish the task at hand.

When you know you have something else lined up, your brain can’t relax because it’s worried about getting to the next step.

6. Write things down

When I start the day/week, I typically have a few things I want to get done. I’m old school so I like to write a list of tasks I want to accomplish (I’m even more old school because I write in cursive haha).

Here were my goals for the week:

I like this strategy because I can really see what I need to get done. Sometimes I also scribble in how long I think it’ll take me to finish a certain task. Then it sort of becomes a game to see how long it takes me to finish.

When I complete a task, it feels great to cross something off the list.

Try this strategy for a week and see what happens!

Conclusion

If you’re like me, wasting time just feels like…well a waste. We only have so much time in the world and if we’re not making the most of it that would be a shame.

Readers, what are some ways in which you become more efficient in your everyday lives? Let me know in the comments!