Overview
Efficiency is one of those concepts that isn’t necessarily sexy, but it can make or break a business. Throughout my entire career, I’ve been somewhat obsessed with efficiency. Three key events drove this. First, I had an awesome accounting professor that taught us how to leverage Excel’s efficiency features (including macros). Second, I started playing disc golf (like ball golf, it’s all about finishing the course in the fewest number of shots). And third, I was standing in line late one night buying a few snacks at the grocery store, and it took forever. I did some math on my phone and realized an hour a week adds up to six months of your life at 84 years old!
Those three experiences taught me to always be on the lookout for a better way to do things. Sometimes automation drives it, but often, it’s just a change in mindset and approach. Multiple times in my career, I’ve handled the responsibilities that would normally be expected of 2-3 people (too bad I didn’t get all those paychecks!). Using an efficiency mindset is what allowed me to do it.
In this article, we’ll discuss 8 habits of highly efficient people. The idea is to get your mind thinking about how you can make small changes to your daily routine to be more efficient and get more important tasks done in less time and with less effort.
The 8 Habits
Three tips:
- Set SMART goals
- Make a plan (every time)
- Think things through
Three tips:
- Limit distractions
- Don’t multi-task (instead: parallel-task)
- Follow the 4 D’s: Delete, Delegate, Defer, Do
Three tips:
- Budget and prioritize resources carefully
- Build a strong network of experts
- Learn to search the web and use AI prompts quickly
Three tips:
- Embrace change
- Pay attention to the pain
- Don’t be afraid to try new things or F.A.I.L.
Three tips:
- Minimize paper and keep it digital
- Give everything a place or get rid of it
- Take meticulous notes
Three tips:
- Delegate and communicate appropriately
- Focus on your strengths
- Know when to ask for help
Three tips:
- Think once, apply often, refine when needed
- Eliminate irrelevant steps and streamline/automate everything else
- Use shortcuts, defaults, and templates
Three tips:
- Spend your time learning, planning, analyzing, and strategizing
- Consider learning a keep part of your job responsibility
- Ask lots of questions (it shows you care)
Summary
Being efficient takes effort, and unfortunately we’re naturally lazy (in the wrong way!) and resistant to change. But if you think back to all the times you undertook a significant change, chances are it made a huge positive impact overall, and on your efficiency with completing some/many tasks. When you free up capacity for more important things like strategic projects, analysis, and learning, it makes a huge difference for your team, organization, and yourself.
Just like in the graphic at the top, too many people think they are too busy to make improvements that result in greater efficiency. That’s such a short-sighted view. If you take a medium- to long-term view, you’d realize more efficiency is crucial to keep up with your necessary tasks and have some capacity for valuable tasks that you probably can’t get to. Be honest with what is really necessary, set a plan to streamline everything that is necessary, and get help if you need it. Take it from me, you won’t regret it!
What are some other habits or traits of people you’ve found to be efficient? How have they helped you succeed?
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