How To Become More Efficient At Work: 9 Ways To Work Smarter

Whether you’re employed at a company or run your own business, there’s no better feeling than meeting your daily goals. Such a feeling creates a sense of accomplishment and motivates you to work even harder the following day.

So how do you become more efficient and consistent at work? Here are 9 ways to work smarter, not harder.

1.  Declutter your to-do list

Adding so many tasks to your to-do list will only make you look focused, organized, and determined but won’t help you become efficient. For example, if you have certain tasks that can be done in under two minutes, you don’t need to add them to the to-do list; you can do them right away!

To learn how to be more efficient at work, you’ll need to be honest with yourself. Not every task deserves to be on your to-do list – only add those that require a considerable amount of time and effort to accomplish.

2.  Have a meal plan

Eating heavy meals, especially during the day, can make you feel tired for the rest of the day. For this reason, consider having a heavier breakfast, a light lunch, and then a heavy dinner.

Alternatively, consider a diet that promotes high brain function. Examples of such foods include fatty fish, broccoli, nuts, pumpkin seeds, and nuts. And, if you are a coffee person, make sure you have your coffee maker ready anytime you need a cup to keep you alert.

3.  Learn to prioritize tasks

When setting up your to-do list, prioritize the most urgent tasks first, followed by those with a more flexible deadline. While this might sound like common knowledge, many people still struggle with planning and prioritizing their tasks at work.

4.  Avoid distractions

Distractions come in the form of social media, video games, or even your own friends, family, and colleagues. So when you know you’re ready to begin working on the day’s goals, consider staying away from distraction.

Some great examples of ways to improve work performance by avoiding distractions include switching your phone into silent mode, moving to a quieter and isolated workspace, setting up a Do Not Disturb sign at your door if possible, etc.

5.  Declutter your workspace

Most people develop anxiety when working in a cluttered environment. This is because a decluttered environment is great for concentration and improves the desire to be more efficient. You don’t need to deep-clean the workspace, though; begin by organizing your desk, dusting around, arranging your paperwork, among other simple tasks.

6.  Create a routine and stick to it

You won’t be more efficient at work without a routine. Similarly, sticking to your routine might seem difficult at first, but as time goes by, your body and mind begin to adjust, leading to improved performance at work.

7.  Seek inspiration and motivation

Let’s face it – you won’t always be motivated to be productive at work. However, staying motivated and inspired is one of the best ways to improve work performance.

For instance, these discipline quotes for positivity are a great place to start if you need something to inspire you throughout the day. Or, if you need to learn a thing or two from famous people in business, check out these 20 inspiring Jack Ma quotes on success and entrepreneurship.

8.  Set realistic targets

Setting unrealistic targets will only exhaust you, leading to frustration and self-doubt. Instead, be honest with yourself and plan your targets around your energy levels, time, resources, among other relevant factors. For example, consider the number of tasks you want to complete in a day, and then begin working on them. After achieving the targets for several weeks or months, raise the bar a notch higher!

9.  Reward yourself

If the step above works, you deserve to reward yourself. Whether it’s a mini-vacation, gadget, or anything in between, rewarding yourself keeps you motivated to work even harder towards achieving the next target. However, as you reward yourself, don’t overdo it. The goal is to reward yourself with something good enough to motivate you to work on the next goal.

Bottom Line

These are just some of the different ways to improve work performance, but there’s one thing you need to know; this journey won’t be easy. First, you need to stay motivated, determined, and inspired. Turtle Quotes offers some of the best quotes on various aspects of life, and that’s one way to keep yourself motivated. Secondly, start slow, quantify your success, and raise the bar a notch higher every time you achieve your targets.