This month we are striving to become wildly, crazily, mind-bendingly efficient!
What does it mean to be efficient?
“Efficiency is the ability to avoid wasting materials, energy, efforts, money, and time in doing something or in producing a desired result. In a more general sense, it is the ability to do things well, successfully, and without waste.” (source)
In a world and an industry where there is always WAY more to get done than we have time and energy for, maximizing the return on our efforts sounds pretty darn great to us!
So, we’ve been seeking out the tools, resources, and mindset hacks that will allow us to work better and smarter.
Here is where David Breckheimer, small business coach, TC, and productivity guru, comes in! According to David, the key to efficiency is being PREDICTABLE.
This means doing the same tasks every day, week, and month of the year. Using the technique of time-blocking, you can schedule repeating blocks of time on your calendar where you focus on one activity (and only one activity!) at a time. For example, on Tuesday and Thursday mornings, from 9 to 10 am, you check on the status of appraisals. That way, you do not waste time and effort planning your week out every Friday or Sunday. You already know exactly what you’ll be doing each week.
David also talks about anticipating challenges before they occur and factoring them into your system. For example, if you know that your clients tend to ask about the status of an appraisal about 2 to 3 days after it is ordered, you can make it part of your process to set expectations right from the start (“I always check on appraisals on Tuesday and Thursday mornings”). You can also schedule a block of time on Mondays and Wednesdays to send your clients a reminder that you will be checking on the status of their appraisal the following business day. This allows you to set expectations with clients and everyone involved of the schedule you’ve designed to achieve a successful transaction.
David has generously shared many of the tools that he uses to set up and run his systems. You access these tools, along with instructional videos on how to use them, in his Cultivate Wins Video & Tool Directory by clicking here.
Finally, the most essential aspect of efficiency is having a predictability mindset. Yet it can also be the most difficult to acquire. Committing to being highly predictable may make you feel like you are sacrificing your flexibility and your freedom. And yet, predictability ends up giving you MORE free time to do what you want!
That’s why it can be helpful to remember this equation: Predictability = Efficiency = Freedom
As Adam Hergenrother and Hallie Warner write in The Founder and The Force Multiplier:
“Why can some people accomplish more in one day than most accomplish in a week? Because they are committed to living a structured life and managing their time. The paradox is that by doing so, you ultimately have more time and freedom” (p.108).
And who wouldn’t like more time and freedom?!