Learning how to be efficient is a skill that will follow you throughout your life. People who learn to effectively develop efficiency skills learn to control their day and increase the amount of work that is done. Just like any new task that you set out to learn there are some steps involved that will increase your chances of understanding. Once we understand what being efficient is and what it isn’t, then we can apply the following steps with confidence and begin the process of working our way to success.

Our top tips on how to be efficient

Efficiency – what it is and what it isn’t

First, before we can gather tips, its best to understand what exactly the word efficiency really means. The dictionary describes efficiency as being able to work in an organized and proficient way without wasting materials, time, effort, or energy to accomplish the desired result.

What it means: Efficiency is a measurable, desirable concept, that can be comparative to a ratio of input vs. output. Simply put, what we put into something equates to what we get out of it.

What it doesn’t mean: Efficiency doesn’t mean that we take shortcuts to get a job done or find out how useful something is. That would be effective, not efficient. Effectiveness is about doing the right task, while efficiency is about doing tasks in the most optimal way.

Now that we know what efficiency is, how can we use that knowledge to move into the freedom that efficiency brings? Here are a few techniques to help.

Create a plan to be efficient

Without a plan, no goals can be reached. Learning to create a plan will help you organize thoughts, tasks, goals, and growth. The plan doesn’t need to be elaborate. A simple piece of paper with your intentions written out and put in a spot where it can be referred to frequently is all that is needed.

Create structure

Once you have a plan, it is essential that you create a framework on how you’ll implement the plan. This framework is called structure and it helps your brains move from instability to schedule and routine. Once a routine is established your brain can go into ‘auto’ mode and begin to stay better focused on the task at hand.

Monitor, ask questions and repeat – Once we have established a plan and structure, then comes the easy part. We simply do what we say we would do. It sounds hard, but an easy way to start is by keeping a journal or little notebook where you can ask yourself each morning and/or evening the following questions:
“Am I doing what I said I would do”
“What was my biggest achievement yesterday” (or last week, or last month)
“What distracted me the most yesterday”
“What intentions did I set yesterday that I didn’t accomplish”
“What can I learn about myself with the accomplishments I did or did not achieve yesterday?”
“What is my why today?”

Work with a VA

In general, once you have developed some efficiency in your life and businesses, it becomes easier to outsource non-core activities. These are generally defined as day-to-day routine tasks that add little value. These are not tasks that improve customer value or drive profits. An example would be email, social media, and website design, to name a few.

Allowing the non-core activities to be done by an assistant will free up time for you to be more productive and increase efficiency. While working with a VA may be unfamiliar territory, here are a few tips to make it run smoothly.

Communication: The biggest struggle with VA’s is good communication. Developing a strategy to get everyone on the same page is key. Make a list of what you’d like each person to do. While it may be tempting to keep emails and communication to a minimum, developing relationships, checking in often, and going over expectations will increase effectiveness. A sense of teamwork amongst the VA’s is always a plus.

Create shared records: Once a good relationship is established it’s a good idea to keep a folder on a sharing website like Dropbox, for example, which will save time and stress. Having a place where everyone can be up to date on information will bring much clarity, ease, and peace of mind. We use Google docs to keep an ongoing to do list. Basecamp and Kanban Flow are other great options to stay organized with tasks and log time. 

Rewards: Finally, rewarding hard work or a job well done will create a sense of value in your relationship with VA’s. It can be as simple as a $5 gift card for some good coffee, a handwritten “I appreciate you” message to an elaborate weekend getting a massage. Showing your VA’s you care will encourage them to keep working hard.