Moving to Efficiency
Why are some people “uber” efficient and productive while others sloth through their daily lives envying those show off efficients? Since none of us are born lazy or efficient, our learned behaviours can be unlearned.
If you’re efficient, kudos to you! Keep up the great work (we should compare notes!). If you’re a procrastinator, please read on so I can share with you some ways in which you, too, can become uber efficient not only in your place of work, but also improve your life dramatically. But first let me tell you why you may be choosing not to embrace efficiency in the first place.
First, change is hard, no matter how small or big the change. And it’s uncomfortable. Sometimes we don’t change because it never occurs to us that we need to change. If you’ve cruised through work and life thus far and lightening hasn’t struck, you convince yourself that things are good. After all, your friends like you just the way you are, right?
But if you’ve convinced yourself that becoming more efficient may help catapult your career beyond the boardroom, you realize that you will need to take time away from friends, television, video games, or other timewasters. And this is a second reason for resisting change. It seems like such an inconvience, a chore, and the payoff for becoming efficient just doesn’t seem worth it at this juncture.
The third reason you might be resisting changing your behaviour is fear of failure or rejection. What if you change and you don’t implement efficiency techniques effectively? Won’t you look silly? Well, listen. The only people who will look silly are those that are not implementing efficiency in their work and their life. They will remain in the jobs they have (or be at a threat of demotion over time). You, on the other hand, will be moving forward to a better future.
A fourth reason for resisting change is that it takes a lot of work to be efficient. And most people don’t want to work that hard, especially if you’re starting from a point of procrastination. That’s a full 180 degree turnaround!
If you’re serious about becoming more efficient, but don’t know where to start, here are three things to consider:
Find someone to show, teach, coach or mentor you on how to be more efficient. Or do research in the library or the Internet. Learn how to be more efficient.
Identify someone who is already efficient. Ask them to share their efficiency techniques with you. It could be a colleague at work or someone you admire.
If you know an efficient colleague, ask them if you can watch them work for a day, so you can see how they manage their workload. Most leaders are happy to teach their techniques to their peers. Learn their secrets to being more efficient.
Once you’ve got the principles down, start practicing by getting out of your comfort zone. Remember that it takes about three months to develop a good habit. Stick with it. It will be the best three months that you’ll ever invest in yourself.
