Thirteen Ways to Become More Efficient
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  1. Stop wasting the first hour of your workday.
    That first cup of coffee, reading the newspaper, and socializing are the three deadliest opening exercises of American business.
  2. Get enough rest, exercise, and nutrition.
    Maintain your health and build your stamina.
  3. Recognize when your peak energy occurs during the day.
    Allocate the most difficult projects to that period.  Work on easy projects at low energy times.
  4. When you recognize that energy level is dropping, take a break.
    Expect this to occur nearly every day around 4 P.M. when your blood-sugar level drops.  Walk away without feeling guilty; come back refreshed fifteen minutes later.
  5. Set aside personal time during the day.
    Don’t work during lunch.
  6. Delegate tasks whenever possible.
    Get subordinates involved in your most draining work.
  7. Work from “To Do” lists.
    Cross off items as you complete them.
  8. Periodically focus on your long-term vision.
    If you concentrate only on putting out daily fires, too much of your energy will be consumed by the present.
  9. Take vacations, and leave your work at home.
    The harder you work, the longer your vacations should be.  Four days here and a long weekend there won’t recharge your batteries if you work at high energy levels for sustained periods.
  10. Stop smoking.
    The average smoker spends several hors per week buying cigarettes, hunting for them, offering them to others, lighting up, flicking ashes, smoking without doing anything else, snuffing them out, and emptying ashtrays.
  11. Stop losing things.
    You may be able to save hours each m    onth by determining to keep better track of personal items commonly misplaced such as pens, keys, calculators, and eyeglasses.
  12. Throughout the day ask yourself, “What’s the best use of my time right now?”
    As the day grows short, focus on those tasks you can least afford to leave undone.  The trick is being disciplined enough to do this even when you’re engrossed in what you’re doing at the moment.
  13. When possible, plan your work so that your tasks end when your day does.
    Take work home as an exception, not a rule.  Your company needs a whole person with a satisfying home life.  These days more and more firms are shying away from the workaholic.