7 Habits to Ensure Efficiency

Efficiency is the new buzz word with increased concern about the environment being energy efficient. But what about our own ability to be efficient both at home and at work? What does being efficient mean to you?

A dictionary defines efficiency as 'the state or quality of being efficient; competency in performance or the accomplishment of or ability to accomplish a job with a minimum expenditure of time and effort.'

Make sure you own time and not the other way around. This article and the ensuing tips are not about striving for perfection, but instead about allowing yourself the opportunity to make better use of your time throughout the day.

Organizing and simplifying your life are important steps to be taken in order to be the most efficient you can be. A well organized office space or home will help you stay efficient.

Above all, when thinking about increasing your efficiency rate, remember to take care of yourself. Good food, plenty of rest, lots of water, and exercise will allow you to function at your best.

1. Schedule your day: Either at the beginning of each day or the night before, plan out each day. You are only one person and you probably won't be able to do everything. Use a schedule to organize your day into time blocks. Write out a daily to-do list (electronic or in a notebook) and prioritize items by importance.

Remember, only schedule around 70 percent of your day. The other 30 percent will be filled with interruptions, travel time between appointments and errands, and sometimes emergencies.

2. Prioritize-Prioritize-Prioritize: List to-do items by order of importance and label each item by importance and urgency. Make items that are extremely important stand out by marking them with red ink, a highlighter, or a star. Only focus on a limited number of actions per day.

3. Multi-task small projects and details: Although multi- tasking does not work for everyone or every project, tasks like cooking supper while talking on the phone or ironing while listening to a motivational CD can be effective. Try reading a book on the subway or bus, or a book on tape while driving to and from work. It's more efficient and a good use of time to do simple tasks simultaneously.

4. Say NO more often: Recognize what your priorities are. If someone requests something of you that you are unable to do comfortably or does not fit into your priorities, 'just say no.'

5. Delegate as much as possible: You can't do everything alone. Allow others around you to help out. Allow friends, family, co-workers, your partner or your children to assist around the house and/or office. Many people find this difficult because they feel they are the only one who can do it right. Start off with small steps. Don't hand over an entire project, but instead a step that will save you time and energy. Make sure you remember to thank these people appropriately.

6. Organize: The more things that are organized both within the home and work environment, the faster work will get finished and the higher quality your work will be. Make lists for yourself and others. Create inboxes and action files.

7. Control your procrastination: Many of us are procrastinators at heart, although for various reasons. One common phrase used to help combat procrastination is 'do the worst thing first.' At the beginning of each day, do the one item that stands out the most on your to-do list, or your most dreaded item. Set daily goals for yourself and plan lots of rewards.

Maria Gracia - Get Organized 10/31 - 11/6

Cheetah

CHEETAH teaches us about speed and focus. Unlike other felines
who stalk, then pounce on their prey for the kill, cheetahs, the
fastest four-footed animals alive, run down their prey. Their lesson
to us is that of accomplishing our goals with speed and focus. When
we feel stuck, cheetah medicine can launch us into motion. If we are
moving with great speed but little direction, cheetah energy helps us
to keep our eyes on our goals and to find the most direct way of
achieving them. Cheetah's are very fast, high speed animals. They are incredible sprinters but do not have the endurance for long distance running at speed. So their action is short and swift.

If you too are struggling with a situation, know that Cheetah comes
to tell you that the action is almost complete. The race is done and
the goal is in sight. Be patient for just a little while and the
outcome will be known. If you have been feeling the victim in your
situation, know that this is not the case and you are in charge even
if it may not feel like it at the present moment. Wenshun and Cheetah
at this time suggest you may wish to use your own past experiences as you resolve the issue at hand. Wisdom comes through the understanding of all life's experiences. Utilizing them with patience creates the energy of The Victor and not the victim. Cheetah shares today with you this energy.

If cheetah is your animal totem, it will teach you a lot about
moving out ahead of everyone else by doing what's in front of you.
Maybe you need to do your homework before the sun goes down. "Get it done", says Cheetah, so that you will have some daylight to play with your friends. Cheetah may mention that you waste too much energy thinking and wishing when you need to get up and go. Is it that you are lazy or are you just stubborn? Or is it you don't believe in yourself enough? Believe that you have the power of a Cheetah and you will surely attain your goals.

From e-newsletter Simply the Present Moment - Gaele Arnott

Mastering Work Flow

1-Collect open loops, Utilize In-Baskets and Folders, Email Folders, Voicemail, Notes,Task Lists

2-Process each item, Decide if Actionable: If yes determine intended/desired outcome and next action steps; if no then trash or incubate or file as reference.

3-Organize into workable system/structure, Do or Defer... List of *Next Actions* and Someday/Maybe List, Use Calendar and Master Task List for time and day specific activities/events, actions relating to projects are put on master list as sub-categories. Project Support material stored in folders (physical or computer) for ready access or reference.

4-Review a) all open loops (incomplete items/tasks) b) Projects (Master Projects list) c) Project Activities (Project-Actions List) d) Daily Agendas (regular routines, master task list, calendar of events and next actions) & e) Someday/maybe (Future Tasks w/out Start or Due Dates).

5-Choose next actions - Intuitive Decisions based upon the Context/Time/Place, amount of Time and Energy available to complete the job, and Priority level. Three types of work I am accountable for and must regularly review/evaluate are:

1) Predefined work (Schedule, Task List, Projects, Routines),

2) Work as it appears in the moment - Sometimes unexpected

3) Defining work of collecting-processing-organizing-reviewing-choosing, begin by checking mail, in-baskets, inbox/email, voice-mail, memos, receipts.

Altitude Analogy

1- Bottom Level - Current actions on the horizon of immediate awareness
2-Current Projects - including all actions needed for their completion
3-Areas of Responsibility - Family, Work and Social Commitments, Appointments
4-One to Two Year Goals - Short Term Plans for Progress - Productive Efficiency
5-Three to Five Year Vision - Long Term Aspirations - Abundance and Prosperity
6-The Bigger Picture- What is it all for? The cohesive factor of self-awareness and universal co-creation, an ever-changing process of growth and regeneration.

** Notes taken (by me) from David Allen's "Getting Things Done... the art of stress free productivity".

JDZ

Throw it Out...

You're throwing out your trash. You're
able to chuck things out even if it
stings - even if you still have a
feeling that you should read last
year's newspapers because otherwise
you'll miss an important article -
but you toss it anyway - and you
then start to feel better.

Even if you miss the items you
gave away or threw out - your entire
system feels better because of the
increased order in your life - the
increased clear space in which to live!

One of the keys to keeping clutter from
getting out of control is to regularly
"take aim" at the clutter, and to chip
away at the pile.

Those small efforts do add up over time.
And even the small efforts can make you
feel BIG in accomplishment. You're
getting things done!

Excerpt from Mimi Tanner's "Declutter Fast"