I'm a big believer in efficiency. Running a business requires me as the business owner to wear many hats, and over the years, I've learned that the best way to lose time is to lose focus on what's happening here and now.
I'm a planner. I set goals, set times to do specific work, and try to stick to that plan. That process works, but only if I can actually accomplish tasks in the time I have allotted.
Sometimes work bleeds over into my personal time. Usually this happens when I got distracted from what I was working on. I mean let's be fair. Few people actually work 10 hours straight, and then find themselves at the office at 6 p.m. still working. If you got in at 8, you'll find you could have done by 4 p.m., but you got distracted, took breaks, and started thinking about what you did yesterday, or need to do tomorrow, or anything but the job you needed to do to get home.
Well, Valentine's Day is coming up, and a good way to practice separating work time and personal time is to plan out your day ahead of your time, and give yourself a breather to spend with a loved one.
S. Caron over at HR World gives you a whole list of daily management tips on how to spend Valentine's Day being efficient, and Valentine's Evening focused solely on your personal life.
- Plan before you leave work. Double-check your planner and organize activities for the next day before you leave the office on Valentine’s Day. Getting tomorrow’s tasks out of your head and on to paper will help you leave work at work, so that you can be fully present with your partner that night.
- Make any last-minute calls on the way home. While you’re on your way home, finish any leftover “business” conversations. When you see your loved one in person, you will be ready to focus on the romance. If you make a call list before leaving the office, it will help ensure you don’t forget anyone.
Two other pieces of advice are avoiding multi-tasking once home, and turning off the phone when your car pulls into the driveway. Giving yourself the right to be away from work is not only respectful of your family, it's a good way to give yourself the incentive to be efficient while at work.
Having a productive work day makes you feel like it's okay to avoid bringing work home. Living in the present requires you to make the most of where you're at, and who you're with. That's not just zen advice you'll find on Starbucks coffee cups, it's the best way to improve productivity and efficiency while you're actually in the workplace.
