Maximum Efficiency
For the sake of this project and my own personal gain, I was googling ways to become more efficient earlier and I found an article on a blog from an Inc. 500 entrepreneur. Best-selling author Kevin Daum, who has logged more than $1,000,000,000 in sales and marketing reaping’s, gave his 8 things that really efficient people do and they are as follows:
1) Stop Multitasking
2) Delegate
3) Use Appropriate Communication
4) Apply Structure to the Schedule
5) Give Everything a Proper Place
6) Time Activities
7) Commit to Downtime
8) Plan Projects
Daum stresses how multitasking is inefficient because you are taking away your energy from one project and splitting it between two when in reality, all your energy should be focused on one thing at a time. Hardest things first, and work your way down the list was how I was always taught and that’s how I work. I love getting my big jobs out of the way at work when I first get in because everything else during the day seems trivial and quick in comparison.
As for delegation, there is no reason to work a million hours a day and burn the midnight oil. That is why you need to stick to a strict schedule. I am very guilty of not doing this enough, I will be the first one to admit that I work too much and college takes a backseat 99% of the time. Everyone, including me, should be able to get all of our work done in a reasonable amount of time and jump down his list to #7. Downtime is when we sleep, watch our favorite Netflix show, take a vacation, do whatever it is that you do to relax. Get your 6–8 hours of sleep. We need this to function and be on top of our game. Daum, as well as most people, would rather have one exceptional employee than 3 average ones.
The rest of Daum’s list primarily has to do with the delicate balance of timing and communication. If you need something done urgently, E-mail is not the way to go, a phone call will always be better suited. A proper medium is necessary for all communication situations.
His final point of “Plan Projects” is probably the hardest one for people to follow. As college students, how often are we pulling all-nighters the day before something is due in order to compensate for our poor planning? Everyone gets it, yeah sometime life gets in the way. Own up to your oversights. I’ve found that the best way to respond to our blunders is by saying “I’m sorry, I planned poorly” This shows maturity and that we acknowledge we could’ve handled the situation a different way.
Daum, K. (2013, November 1). 8 Things Really Efficient People Do. Retrieved October 01, 2017, from https://www.inc.com/kevin-daum/8-things-really-efficient-people-do.html
