From Today, Let's Get Efficient.

Efficiency is not achieved by just working hard, you also have to work smart. Spending extra hours at work to complete the tasks assigned, is not a sign of efficiency. You have to squeeze more out of every hour and maximise your productivity. Working smart and hard means knowing how you can set and achieve stretch targets within the workday. When you are efficient, you feel more content and satisfied. Four ways to be more efficient at work are:

Schedule Your Day in Advance: Stop saying “First thing in the morning”, start saying “Let’s prepare for tomorrow.” You can also work on scheduling a week ahead on weekends. Habituate yourself to use a planner, communicate effectively, e-mail efficiently, organise your priorities and be realistic.

Get Up an Hour Earlier: “Early to bed, early to rise” is one of the most underrated adages. When you get up earlier than your scheduled time, you make mental notes of how you can compartmentalise your time for what lies ahead. If possible, go for a walk or find time for gym before you start getting ready for work. It is obvious, then, you will feel the need to go to bed earlier than before. Be disciplined. Be focused.

Stop Wasting Time: You have to get into the habit of utilising your time. Today, tomorrow and every day. When you are not doing what you are supposed to, you are wasting time. Take breaks and rest on purpose, do not deliberately waste your time. If you are require to undertake research on the Internet for your project, limit yourself and focus on your task rather than surfing the web viciously. Internet is a place where everything seems interesting. Resist the temptation.

Don’t Bury Sleep, Bury the TV: Do not let late night TV watching deprive you of the much-needed rest. As hard as it must be since most of us are attuned to a minimum of 2-3 hour TV viewing every day, saying “No” will not only save us time but prevent our brain from getting overloaded by rapid-fire stimuli it exposes us to, robbing us of precious sleep.

Being more productive and efficient should not be limited to your workplace, but to all areas of life. Extract more value out of your interactions and improve your life. What are the techniques that you follow to make your day more efficient and productive? The Quitter community believes in interacting with their readers, to help initiate a dialogue. Tell us what’s your key to getting your work deadlines met, tell us how it helps you from putting pressure on your life.

Quit Wasting Time. Embrace Efficiency.

Quit Procrastination.

You have sat down, had your tea, exchanged greetings, checked your e-mails. . .but you still haven’t started your work. At some point of time, we all have stood guilty of delaying, avoiding or putting off doing something that we must do. It’s called procrastination. Quit procrastination and manage your work better. Say “Now” instead of “Later,” say “Today” instead of “Tomorrow.”

Don’t simply put off what you could easily be doing today. Here’s how:

Break up Large Projects into Small Tasks: You can split your works into tiny, manageable chunks! Set short deadlines and finish those. Each completed task gives you a sense of accomplishment and powers you to do more.

Nothing Will Be Perfect The First Time: Don’t be a perfectionist from the start. Finish a job and then see how you can improve. Quantity is also important.

Well Begun Is Half Done: Focus on “beginning” to work on something, instead of “finishing” it. The next steps get clear after you have taken the first one. When you dwell on finishing a task, the mind can’t help but succumb to its mammoth pressure. Stop thinking, start doing!

Make Yourself a Challenge Zone: Pick a time when you will move out of the comfort zone and accomplish something at a faster than usual pace. Assign yourself a time-frame, say, for instance, two hours, and work the hardest in those two hours. Be brave, be productive, challenge yourself and stimulate your brain.

Be Inspired: Make friends with individuals who discourage procrastination. Get inspired by their work ethic and inculcate it in yours.

Time is the most important resource we have, so try to not waste any of it.

Quit Procrastination! Just Do It, Now!