Working Faster AND Smarter: 6 Tips to Speed Up Your Output

Getting You Up to Speed

In a fast-paced world where results are demanded instantly, it’s important that you know how to deliver it – and fast!

Being able to work on tasks, assignments and projects quickly yet efficiently is a highly crucial skill valued by most employers. However, it’s not one that can be learned right off the bat: it requires a combination of practice and experience to nail it completely without compromising the quality of your work. Other factors such as distractions, being disorganised, fatigue and anxiety can also hinder your ability to complete tasks in a speedy and smart manner.

Fortunately, there are ways to improve the pace of your performance without compromising the quality of your output!

The Solution

To improve your work speed, take note of the following six tips:

1. Time Yourself

You may not realise it, but you may be spending far too much time and energy working on certain tasks, especially if there are other tasks that are more important, and require your immediate attention and concentration.

Use a timer or stopwatch to track how much time you work you dedicate to each task. Thereafter, you can set a specific timeframe in which to complete it. For example, spend one hour working on your report, then dedicate 30 minutes to writing and responding to emails, etc. This can help you to complete assignments on time – even better, to complete them faster!

2. Break It Down

It’s easy to work slowly on tasks, assignments and projects if these are only due in several days or weeks. That’s why it’s important to use this time to plan ahead so that you can get them done.

Create a timeline for each deadline. Once this is done, you’ll be able to calculate how much time you can dedicate to each one. For example, if your first project is due in a week, set aside two hours each day to work on it; if your second project is due at the end of the month, set aside 15-30 minutes a day to focus on it, etc.

Then, break your projects into small chunks. That way, they feel manageable and thus easier to accomplish. Don’t forget to take a break and reward yourself each time you finish a chunk of work – it helps you to keep self-motivated, inspired and anxiety-free!

3. Try Task-Batching

If there’s one task that takes priority over other assignments and projects – a presentation, a report, etc – try dedicating a few hours at a time to working on it.

Why? According to career experts, it takes four hours of work a day to max out our brains both creatively and intellectually. As such, you will be focusing and working intensely during this period.

That’s where “task-batching” comes in: draw up a list of your tasks and peruse it to see which ones take priority. Concentrate on a single task (or tasks) on specific days of the week.

For example, if you’re writing a video script on Monday within a four-hour period, then spend the rest of the day performing your other duties. On Tuesday, split up your workload again so that you spend four hours putting together the actual video (recording, post-production, etc) and the rest of the day on other things.

4. Minimise Distractions

A lack of focus can seriously hinder the speed of your output, especially if you have important, urgent tasks that need to be completed sooner rather than later. That’s why it’s imperative that you try to limit, avoid or eliminate as many distractions as possible.

For example, if you’re working from home or another remote location, choose a dedicated area that’s spacious and quiet enough to help ease you into a focused mindset. Make it clear to your spouse and/or children about your working hours and what they can/cannot do during that time.

If there’s background noise, consider using noise-cancelling headphones; on the other hand, listening to music while working has been shown to improve one’s mood, provide motivation and help one to concentrate on the tasks at hand.

Cellphones also manage to pull our attention away from our current projects and activities. Practise putting your phone on silent mode or storing it away in your desk drawer so that you don’t give into the temptation to check it every minute or so.

5. Slow-Go on The Perfectionism

We all want to complete our tasks, assignments and projects in such a way that they don’t need to be redone if there are any errors. While the “get it done right the first time” mentality is a good one to adopt, it can come with its own downside: perfectionism.

There’s nothing wrong in wanting the quality of your work to be the best. However, being too much of a perfectionist can severely impact the pace in which you deliver the work, plus it can increase your stress and anxiety levels. For example, constantly tweaking a project outline can delay the project from being completed … or worse, delaying it from even beginning!

Another example is repeatedly rewriting a report that doesn’t meet your personal expectations: in the end, you have nothing to hand in and you miss a deadline, which will not look good in the eyes of your manager and/or supervisor. You might just end up with a heavier workload, which is the least worst consequence you could possibly face in this situation.

To overcome your perfectionism, don’t judge yourself too harshly on everything you do. Show yourself compassion, don’t compare yourself to others, and focus on your strengths instead of your weaknesses. Then, learn to prioritise, set time limits, and take breaks now and again (more on that in the next section!) so that tasks can be done in a speedy manner without compromising your performance output.

6. Give Yourself a Break

Deadlines are around the corner, but sacrificing downtime in exchange for meeting them can seriously hinder your performance. After all, what’s the point of working when you’re only at your 50% best instead of 100%?

When doing your work, you need to be refreshed, focused and raring to go. That’s why you should take regular breaks. Use your lunch-hour to grab a bite to eat, take a walk around the block, catch a quick nap, or take a trip to the shop. Also, schedule at least two 15-minute breaks so that you can relax away from your desk.

It’s also important to establish a balance between your professional and personal life so as to prevent these from bleeding into each other. If you spend too much time working, you’re at risk of stress and burnout, which again can affect your overall output.

In other words, when it’s time to clock out, you need to leave the work at work – it will be there for you the next day, and you’ll be more than ready to deal with them after a well-earned rest!

Quick Turnaround

By incorporating these tips into your working life and by practising them constantly, you’ll be able to master working faster AND smarter in due time. Good luck!