Setting goals is critical to success. We can create goals to help shape our paths – this can be an effective way to improve work efficiency. Unfortunately, we may not have assigned realistic deadlines to those goals – or we may have reached too high. Compelling goals are important, but you also need to assess how much time and resources your goal(s) requires. We often think we can skip from step A to Z to reach our goal, when in reality there are lots of steps in between that need to be accounted for. Keep your end goal (Z) in mind, but don’t overestimate the importance of steps B, C, D and so on.

Setting reasonable goals also helps you focus on the goal itself and the desired outcome. When your goal is too lofty to attain or is not defined, you can’t clarify it or properly focus your mind and efforts on it.

If you find yourself feeling buried in work, jumping from task to task with no clear strategy or struggling with work efficiency, you may need to refine your time management skills. Familiarize yourself with processes like chunking to group tasks together based on outcome so you feel less overwhelmed and more organized.

For example, if you are using chunking to organize your day, place tasks like answering emails and following up on phone calls toward the beginning when you’re fresher, and move errands that don’t require a great deal of thought, like picking up pet food, toward the end.

When you improve efficiency through time management skills, you reduce stress as well as get more things done, creating a loop that enables you to accomplish even more.

Whether it’s because we feel pressure from ourselves or those around us, we sometimes take on tasks that we don’t need to. We’re so set on proving that we’re capable of multitasking that we take on tasks we could just as easily delegate to others. We associate the word “No” with missed opportunities or failure, but that’s not the case at all.

Learn how to say no when your plate is already full or you lack interest in a task. If you can delegate smaller tasks to those around you, do so. Freeing up your schedule allows you to focus more closely on assignments that really matter to you and will help you increase efficiency at work.

Stuck on an idea? Feeling like you have so much work that you don’t know where to begin? Worrying that you have too much to do can create its own sort of mental roadblock. Before you know it, you’ll have spent a day agonizing over what to do first or how to get it done. That’s a quick way to get nothing done.

If your focus is stuck on a project that you can’t make any headway on, your energy becomes blocked and work efficiency grinds to a halt. Take a break. Do something completely unrelated to the task at hand. Go on a walk. Do some yoga. Listen to music. Changing your focus can help you change your state, so when you do return to work, you feel refreshed and ready to tackle your project with new eyes. Build in multiple breaks during your workday to give yourself time to relax and regroup and you’ll find that work efficiency naturally increases.

People who know how to be more efficient at work and consistently accomplish their goals do so by creating sustainable habits. Develop a routine that puts you in the best possible state to be productive at work. Routines look different for everyone, so find the one that leaves you feeling your best. You may end up at the gym for an hour every morning, or taking a long walk at lunch to release some stress. One of Tony’s habits is a morning priming exercise where he adjusts his thoughts and emotions for the day.

Understanding the mind-body connection can help you see that a mindful priming exercise not only helps you improve efficiency, but it can also help you unlock an extraordinary life. When you create a routine that makes you feel happy, healthy and clear-minded, your work efficiency will skyrocket.

Perfection is an illusion that causes stress and can lead to limiting beliefs that impede your level of success. Understanding and accepting that nothing will ever be done perfectly helps you get tasks done without crippling expectations. It also helps you embrace setbacks as learning experiences; when you stop fearing failure, you’ll be less inclined to procrastinate, as we often put things off to avoid failure.

To help curb your perfectionism, listen to and alter your self-talk. Treat yourself with kindness and cut yourself some slack if you don’t perform up to your high standards in some cases. When you let go of perfectionism and start focusing instead on progress, you will increase efficiency as well as overall well-being.

A comfortable work environment has always been important to productivity. Now, with some industries expecting the percentage of permanent remote employees to double in 2021, it is increasingly up to employees to improve this aspect of work efficiency. First ensure you have all the tools you need to do your job well: multiple monitors, ergonomic seating, a printer or scanner and so on.

Next, look at how pleasant and inspiring your space is. Is your desk clear – or cluttered? Do you have music playing that sparks your creativity? Is there artwork on the walls that puts you in a positive mood? Improving your work efficiency requires an office setup that allows it. If you’re not sure how to make your office more conducive to your work, consider working with an interior designer or functional office consultant for advice.xa