5 Easy Ways to Boost Work Efficiency

5 Easy Ways to Boost Work Efficiency In today’s fast-paced work environment, getting things done isn’t always enough. The pressure is on to get things done quickly and accurately, and sometimes, that’s easier said than done. Much of our work requires thinking outside the box and problem-solving, neither of which is easy to produce on demand. So, how can you boost work efficiency? There are lots of ways to boost work efficiency. It’s such a critical part of success and happiness that we offer a training session focused on successful strategies for managing time, priorities and energy. Here are 5 of my favorite tips for boosting work efficiency. 1. “Salimi it”: Break down tasks into simple steps. Large, complex tasks can easily become overwhelming. If you’re struggling to get started on a task, try “the salami technique”: breaking it down into smaller steps. Then, commit to completing one or two steps before taking a break or jumping into a meeting. When we commit to a simple task, the work suddenly doesn’t seem so daunting. Instead of clearing our whole email inbox, we’re just committing to respond to the five most urgent messages right now. After that, we can move on to the next five, and so on. 2. Use the Pomodoro Technique. The Pomodoro Technique is a favorite at KCC. This productivity-boosting method was created by Francesco Cirillo, who used a tomato-shaped kitchen timer to manage his work. Set the timer for 25 minutes of work, followed by a five-minute break. After four sets, take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes. This method helps increase focus and avoid burnout. Try this technique with an app or directly on YouTube for a productivity boost. 3. Move your body to get unstuck. Much of the work we do requires mental agility and troubleshooting. If you’re having trouble getting your brain revved up and ready to generate new ideas, try taking a walk. Exercise will get your heart rate up and get more blood circulating to your brain, making you feel more alert, which helps you generate new solutions. 4. Incentivize yourself. Motivation is important for all of us. It provides a little extra oomph to get through challenging tasks and gives us something fun to look forward to. Motivation also comes from a wide range of sources. Perhaps organizing a friendly competition with a peer to see who finishes a task first gives you some incentive to get moving. Rewarding yourself with a cappuccino or watching a short video can also be helpful. 5. Reduce interruptions. Identify the top distractions in your workspace. These can be anything from the clutter on your desk to the noise of a conversation happening near you or a coworker who frequently interrupts with questions. Stay proactive. Take a moment to tidy up the clutter. Consider using a white noise app or wearing headphones to block out disruptive sounds. Arrange a later time to meet with your coworker to address any questions they have, informing [...]

By |2025-05-18T12:36:19-04:00May 18th, 2025|Leadership Tips|
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Get Ready for Summer: Update Your Goals and Make Time for Joy

Get Ready for Summer: Update Your Goals and Make Time for Joy Starting the year with goals in mind is a great idea. What makes that approach even more effective is checking in periodically to evaluate what’s working, what isn’t relevant anymore, and when we need to reprioritize. With the summer approaching, now is a perfect time to sit down with our list of New Year’s Resolutions and see how we’re doing and how we feel about the goals we set at the beginning of the year. Here are 3 steps to update your goals and make time for joy. 1. Are your goals still relevant? Let’s spring clean! When reviewing the goals you chose in January, consider which ones you've already achieved. Have you finished that big project? Have you been going to the gym? Take a look at your list of goals and check off the ones you've done. Celebrate what you’ve accomplished so far. Also, think about which objectives are no longer relevant and remove them from your list. We all change our minds and that’s fine. I call this “spring cleaning my to-do lists”! Any new summer goals you want to add to the list? Family, health, nature…what inspires you these days? Remember to pick only what’s most important to you and to be realistic in order to set yourself up for success. Often, less is more…I even have a “Not To-Do List” and I love it!! 2. Acknowledge the Progress You’ve Made. Acknowledging your progress can help energize you to keep moving forward. What’s working for you? What’s going well? What’s almost done? Take a few moments to think about how you achieved progress. Perhaps you have an encouraging note taped to your bathroom mirror. Maybe you have reminders set to pop up on your phone or calendar. What tools and strategies work for you? Make sure you continue using the techniques that support your growth. Consider updating the notes or reminders with a fresh message and try some new ways to continue doing things that make you happy and successful. 3. Add Joy. As summer approaches, perhaps it’s time to shift your focus to creating time for family and friends or simply enjoying the outdoors. Think about what adds joy to your life and where that happiness boost fits into your daily or weekly life. It might be as simple as taking a ten-minute walk at the end of the day or enjoying a cup of tea outside in the morning. Make time to engage with the people and activities that help you recharge. This helps break up the fog of monotony that can come from getting lost in our daily work and life routines. Add a breath of fresh air, whether it’s from a literal walk outside, coffee with a friend, or a visit to a meaningful place, like a museum or art gallery. You can learn more ways to increase your happiness in my book, 21 Days to Happiness. Each day of the [...]

By |2024-05-21T09:07:55-04:00May 21st, 2024|Happiness Tips, Leadership Tips|
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Minimalist Living: Why Fewer Things Equals Greater Happiness

If you're a creative person, a pack rat, a shopper or a collector, minimalist living and the idea that fewer things equals greater happiness may feel impossible to you. It doesn't have to be! And you don't have to be a true minimalist in order to decrease the amount of possessions you own and increase your happiness. Who’s in Charge Here? If you’ve seen the movie Fight Club, you may remember the scene in which Tyler Durden talks about the paradox of owning things. “The things you own,” he says, “end up owning you.” It’s especially easy to feel this in our lives when things aren’t going well. For example, when something breaks can mean having to take time to find someone to fix it and then squeeze extra funds from our budget to cover the costs of repairs. Even maintaining and cleaning out stuff can end up making us feel like a slave to our things because we of the time it takes to care for them. Do you have things that sit gathering dust, or memberships that are going unused? Are you working extra hours or skipping other activities because your budget is tied to paying for things you’re not even using? Evaluate Your Needs and Hobbies Take a moment and try to look at your home the way an outsider would see it. Think like a minimalist as you walk room to room. What items do you rarely or never use? What things do you never have time to clean, take care of, or enjoy? Think of Marie Kondo as you walk through your home and look at what you have. Do these things bring you joy? Or have they become a burden in some way? Sometimes things represent a guilt burden as well as a financial one. If you feel a twinge in your chest every time you walk past the treadmill you’re not using, it’s probably time to come up with a different approach to your fitness. Guilt isn’t an effective exercise! Get rid of the treadmill and find a fitness opportunity that energizes or excites you instead. Take Time to Divest Yourself of Unused Things Take ownership of your things and decide what you really need. What’s taking up too much space? What’s eating up your budget that you simply don’t need or use anymore? Evaluate options besides ownership. If you love to go out on a jet ski but only find time for it a few days of the year, it may be more cost effective for you to rent one for those days when you go out on the water. That way the burden of caring for, maintaining, insuring, and storing the jet ski doesn’t fall on you, and you can be sure you’re only spending money on a jet ski when you’re actually using one! Create a place for items you’re ready to donate, like a box in your garage. Get into the habit of actually giving away items. It may [...]

By |2019-12-16T17:30:30-04:00December 11th, 2019|Happiness Tips|
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