Do you have too much to do? Are you trying to figure out how to work faster?
Time management allows you to accomplish more tasks in less time, but it doesn't automatically mean you work faster.
Time management systems allow you to prioritize and organize your work, but how do you optimize the velocity of each task?
Here are six tips you can implement right away that will help you get work done faster.
How to Work Faster
Allocate Less Time for Tasks
In 1955, The Economist published an article titled "Parkinson's Law: The Pursuit of Progress" by Cyril Parkinson.
It's a complex study of bureaucracy and how government organizations tend to generate work for each other.
Over the decades, the world of organizational productivity distilled Parkinson's law into this one basic principle: "Work expands to fill the time we give it."
A couple of tongue-in-cheek versions of Parkinson's law include:
- If you wait until the last minute to do something, it only takes a minute to do it.
- Work contracts to fit in the time you give it.
- In a ten-hour day, you have time to fall twice as far behind your commitments as in five hours a day.
The point is you can work faster by allocating less time for your tasks.
If you set aside a day to draft a monthly report, try setting aside four hours. If that works, try setting aside three hours. Continue to refine the time you allocate to tasks to minimize the time spent.
You can do the same thing with meetings.
Does every meeting need to take an hour?
No.
We're used to hour-long meetings, but they don't all have to take that long.
If you want to work faster, schedule meetings for 15 or 30 minutes.
You’ll be surprised how much more efficient your conversations will be when they have a hard stop.
Turn Off Alerts
The electronic alerts that notify you when an email, text, or chat message is in your inbox are productivity killers.
Every time you move from a task to check a message, your brain switches gears, and researchers estimate it takes 20-25 minutes to regain focus on your original task.
This shift is known as "switching time." That time slows you down.
That said, all those messages will need your attention at some point.
You can timebox (which means setting specific times in your calendar) to view and respond to emails, texts, and instant messages.
You may need to adjust (or reset) people's expectations for your response time if you're known for responding promptly.
In most chat apps, you can create a do-not-disturb notice so that people can see that you are not available.
While you may be slower to respond, you’ll work more efficiently and complete deliverables sooner.
Do One Thing at a Time
We used to think that the fastest way to work was multitasking." It was a badge of honor. Being busy and juggling multiple tasks simultaneously were seen as signs of talent and power.
That ship has sailed.
Study after study has found that multitasking is actually a productivity killer.
The time it takes to switch focus is one reason multitasking doesn't work.
Additionally, there is evidence that multitasking reduces cognitive functioning.
Our brains are being rewired when we constantly move between stimuli, and it's causing us to lose our ability to focus and do the deep work that will make an impact.
A study of knowledge workers found that 92 percent read emails and other messages during meetings and are unable to recall decisions or action items as a result.
"Frequently switching between tasks overloads the brain and makes you less efficient," said Sandra Bond Chapman, Ph.D., founder and chief director of the Center for BrainHealth. "It is a formula for failure in which your thoughts remain on the surface level, and errors occur more frequently."
To work faster and more efficiently, Chapman recommends:
- Focus intensely, without distraction. Silence your phone, turn off your email and try to perform just one task at a time. Start with 15-minute intervals and gradually work your way up to longer periods.
- Give your brain some downtime. Taking a break will help make space for your next brilliant idea because a pause in constant thinking slows the mind's rhythms to allow more "aha" moments.
- Make a to-do list. Give the most important tasks your brain's "prime time," as Bond called it. Working fast on unimportant tasks is good, but tackling the critical stuff is better. You want to work faster, but you also want to work smarter.
Double-Check Everything
It may seem counterintuitive that taking extra time to review work thoroughly will help you work more efficiently.
However, tasks that are incomplete or inaccurate will require more time overall.
In a fast-paced environment, the balance between quality and velocity is crucial.
You want to move initiatives forward as quickly as possible, but speed is counterproductive if quality assurance is lacking.
Time is one of the hidden expenses of inadequate quality control, according to quality consultancy ETQ.
Using the iceberg metaphor, lost revenue, rework costs, reputation, and customer satisfaction are the most visible costs above the waterline.
Lost time delivering a quality product is under the surface, but just as damaging.
Simple quality control checks you can do every day include:
- Spelling and grammar in documents
- Data in spreadsheets and CRMs
- Bills, invoices, and payments
- Schedules and meetings
- Travel plans
- Event logistics
- Sales reports
- Third-party and internal data used in reports
Double-checking and validating the quality and accuracy of your work will ultimately save you time.
It will also save you from embarrassment, especially regarding sensitive emails, important meeting invitations, presentations to your managers, and high-profile reports that can hinder your career development.
It's always a good idea to have a coworker review important projects before marking them as complete.
A classic example of this is proofreading.
It isn't easy to proofread your own work, especially if you've already gone through multiple drafts, but others will spot your errors in a second.
Yes, it can be uncomfortable.
However, it will help you get work done more efficiently.
A colleague's review can also help share ownership of the task and the end work product you create, creating team morale that elevates your business to the next level.
Avoid Perfectionism
Ok, yes, it is essential to double-check your work.
However, that does not mean you have to triple- or quadruple-check it.
Perfectionism is another obstacle to productivity and workplace efficiency.
When your presentation for a customer meeting reaches version 47, something has to give.
Additionally, this is another area where obtaining feedback from colleagues can be beneficial.
Complete your first draft of the project, solicit feedback, incorporate the suggestions that improve it, and consider it complete.
Remind yourself that there is no such thing as perfect.
Getting something done and refining it with others results in faster and better-finished products.
Delegate Tasks
But the #1 best way to work faster?
Give your work to someone else.
If you struggle with delegating, consider that you already do a lot of it.
Do you clean your own house or mow your own lawn?
You outsource tasks all the time that need to get done, but they don't necessarily need to be done by you.
Often, you lack the time, expertise, or interest to complete these tasks, and you know that having someone else do them would make your life easier.
Business is the same, and employees aren't your only option.
You can also delegate responsibilities to contractors, freelancers, and agencies.
Examples of functions that get delegated include:
- Admin work
- Advertising
- Website development
- Graphic design
- Accounting
- Payroll
Delegating these tasks is the obvious choice, as they are not central to your business, but they do require expertise that most executives lack.
A software business leader is not an advertising expert, for example.
But what about the tasks that you're capable of handling, but that steal time away from the deep work you want to be doing?
The delegation that executives often struggle with involves work that is integral to the business but doesn't require a specialized skill.
These everyday tasks keep the company moving forward, but they are not appropriate for the executive role.
Examples include:
- Calendar management
- Email communications
- Data entry
- Invoicing and payment processing
If you delegate these time-consuming tasks to a virtual assistant —someone who specializes in this level of organization— you'll feel a lot less overwhelmed and have much more time to focus on the work that only you can do.
If you're constantly fielding phone calls, consider outsourcing your phone system to a cloud PBX system, which will free up your time and help you prioritize tasks that require your attention.
Not sure where your time goes? Try doing a time audit!
How to Work Faster with Prialto
Follow these practices, and you'll be sure to accomplish more in less time. As a bonus, the quality of your work will improve too.
If you want to take your productivity to the next level, Prialto can help. With our fractional virtual assistant service, you get a virtual assistant, backup support, and a whole productivity consultation team to help you build efficient processes.
You won't just work faster, you'll work better. See how it works in our Ultimate Guide to Virtual Assistants.