5 ways you’re making your job harder than it needs to be

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If you’re not an efficient worker, you may be making your job harder than it needs to be.
Productivity expert Peggy Duncan said organization is the key to efficiency on the job.
Duncan told Business Insider the five biggest ways you’re wasting time at work and making your job harder.

Peggy Duncan thinks you’re spending too much time getting too little done at work.

Duncan is a personal productivity coach who helps clients improve their work efficiency, and she’s observed countless ways workers aren’t making the most of their time.

In the long run, an inefficient workflow can make your job harder than it needs to be, she said.

"If you want to get your life back and if you don’t want your job to kill you," Duncan told Business Insider, it’s important to get organized and understand where your time goes.

Here are the biggest reasons Duncan said you’re making your job harder than it needs to be.

You’re unclear about where your time goes

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Have you ever gotten to the end of your workday and wondered what you did with your time?

You didn’t finish the report that was due yesterday. Your desk is a mess. Maybe you work longer, frantically trying to catch up. You feel stressed, miserable, anxious.

Duncan has seen this many times.

"You have no idea how long things take, so you underestimate," she said. "You have to analyze how you’re spending your time so you know where it’s going, how long it takes, and what’s getting in the way of getting it done."

Duncan said that it’s important to know things like whether someone is interrupting you to ask the same question five times a day. You won’t see the patterns unless you write it down.

"Keep a little simple time log for a couple of weeks," she said. "Jot down everything that you’re spending time on."

In addition, note whether each activity was important. If someone interrupted you, write down the reason.

There’s chaos in your computer

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Once you understand where your time goes, Duncan recommends turning your attention to organization — everything from your desk and your computer files to your clothes closet and junk drawer at home.

"Being disorganized is why you don’t have any time," Duncan said. "You’re spending too much time looking for something all the time." She recommends giving up two or three weekends, initially, to organize your life.

"You’re going to get that time back," she said. "You won’t be as stressed. Your confidence is boosted. Your coworkers have more confidence in what you say."

But organizing is a process that takes time and maintenance — "You just can’t go ‘poof!’ and all is well," she said.

Think of it as Marie Kondo-ing your inbox and beyond.

“The same principles apply. The principles of organizing don’t change,” Duncan said.

You have mangled priorities

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Maybe you handed that report in late because you spent too much time helping Bob fix his spreadsheet or searching through your inbox for that important email Jo sent you.

Once you have a clear picture of where your time goes and you organize your stuff both physically and virtually, your next challenge is to use that newfound time in a better way. You’re ready to reclaim your priorities, Duncan said.

"You prioritize based on what’s closest to the money," Duncan said. "What is going to get you paid? What is going to get you a raise? Which clients pay you without any hassles? Those are your priorities."

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Laura McCamy)