Create a Daily Plan to Work More Efficiently

1. Have a Plan in Place Before You Start Your Work Day

The first and most important step to take towards working more efficiently is to have a daily plan in place. It is important that your plan be written down somewhere - on a calendar, note pad, or stored on your computer. Do not simply go through a mental check list each day.

Having a written plan is a must to keep nagging thoughts out of the back of your head and to help prevent disasters because you forget about something important..

2. Getting Rid Of Daily Distractions with a Plan

If you arrive at work each day and are immediately overwhelmed with your long "to do" list and desk clutter, at best, you will bolt into your day like a racehorse (and quickly burnout after a sprint, just like a racehorse) focusing on whatever seems most pressing at any given time. Worst case is you will sit in a funk not knowing where to start. Either way, simply "putting out fires" each day is the single least efficient way to attack your work load and the best way to exhaust your self while only getting further behind.

Without a plan, the days' distractions will quickly take over: the phone rings, you start to answer emails, coworkers start chit-chat and before you know it lunch time has arrived and you have little accomplished. Your daily plan might include an hour each morning to get settled in by returning calls, checking email before you get started on other tasks but it will do more than just serve as a guideline about what to do with your time. For example, if you purposely set aside an hour to do something and you go over that time limit, you will know that you need to adjust your plan for the next day.

By mapping out your day in segments or by tasks you can more easily identify problems areas and your peak efficiency times (i.e., you may be less efficient after lunch if you suffer from afternoon slump or may be a slow starter in the morning.)

3. Avoid Taking on More Than You Can Handle

An optimist is someone who is able to see the positive in a given situation will generally focus on the belief that "all things are possible." There is nothing wrong with being an optimist unless it leads you to underestimate your abilities, time it will take to accomplish something, and results in your taking on more than you can handle.

A realist can be an optimist, but a realist also sees the logistics that may be involved in dealing with a situation and will factor in potential obstacles and restraints.

If you do not have your own game plan lined up for the day you may have a harder time saying no to helping others or taking on additional projects because you have a positive "can do" attitude that overrides reality or common sense. It is easy to underestimate how long things will take to accomplish your own tasks much less someone else's if you think you are superwoman and a sunny outlook is all it takes to get things done.

Knowing what is on your own plate for the day, and having already determined a budget for your own time for specific tasks can help you meet deadlines, get more done each day, and be more realistic about taking on additional work.

4 Create Your Attack Plan

Before you head off to work, decide ahead of time what you will focus on when you get there. Better still, plan your day the night before and prepare your desk for the tasks you want to accomplish in the morning. For example, get files or reading material organized for the morning so you can just jump right in, or put items you need to type or phone calls to return in the order you need to get them done.

Having a plan can help you create predictable routines that will in turn keep you better prepared to face chaotic days when your boss or a high maintenance client demands more of your time.

“Plan your work for today and every day, then work your plan”