“This just came in last minute and it needs to be completed by end of day.” “I need to get all this done by end of day.” “Stop what you are doing, and start doing this.”
I am sure everyone has experienced one or more of these scenarios, and with the tremendous changes occurring in the workplace, things will not be slowing down anytime soon, nor will they go back to the way they were. Working fast and efficient is not just for higher performers, it’s becoming the norm in many organizations.
But have you ever noticed those people who seem to get a lot of work done, and remain unfrazzled and happy at what they do? Yes, they do exist, and here are some of the performance strategies they use to help them work fast and efficient:
View time as a valuable commodity
If we slow down and think about it, our time is fleeting; we can never get a day, an hour or a minute back. Once time is gone, it’s no longer available to us. Money, on the other hand, can be made and spent. It’s something that can be replenished however, when you look at time as a non-renewable resource, we start to put a different emphasis on what it is we are actually doing with our limited resource of time.
Create meaning
Very often we get so busy with demands placed on our time, we start to feel stretched and unsure of why we are doing this type of work. This is when a high level performer switches gears and finds meaning in the work they do. Now, this doesn’t mean they are always working on glamorous projects. No not at all, rather they have learned the art and science of “bringing” meaning to whatever work they are doing.
Be focus, extremely focused
Having the ability to focus is a skill that people have developed and refined over their careers. It’s the age-old saying, “where attention goes, energy flows and results show.”—T. Harv Eker The best way to remain extremely focused is to have a tangible, targeted list of two or three tasks that must get done, and when things start to get very busy, you know where to focus your attention and not get pulled in different directions.
It’s important to remember “things” are not slowing down anytime soon. Learning some practical and applicable performance skills will ensure you develop a strong performance ‘neural-network’ in your brain that will allow you to thrive, when you hear “this just came in last minute and it needs to be completed by end of day.”
All the best in achieving your highest performance,
Paul
Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net