No matter what path you’re on right now – motherhood, career-focused, trying to spend more time on yourself, etc. – I think we can all agree that being more efficient in life is the goal. Being efficient gives you back more time in your day and, at least for me, it makes me feel productive, which usually leads to getting even more stuff done than expected.

Between reading more than my fair share of self-improvement books, owning my own business and having an almost one-year-old, I’ve picked up a few hacks on efficiency (though I’ll always be a work in progress), so sharing them today for anyone who is looking to add a little more of it to their life!

Stop multitasking

Somewhere along the line saying you were a great multitasker became a good thing, but it’s honestly just not – at least not for me. I’m much more efficient when I allow myself the space to focus in on exactly one thing. This way I can give it my full attention and I wrap it up a lot faster than I would if I was trying to do it and two or three other things at the same time. This goes for housework, errands and work tasks.

Communicate clearly

Life gets crazy between jobs, kids and balancing a personal life. If there’s one thing I’ve learned though that has made a huge difference, it’s communication. Do it concisely and clearly the first time and it’ll save future you a lot of time and headaches. Also – don’t worry about answering certain emails, texts, or calls that you don’t need to. After all, no response is a response.

Stick to your schedule

Whether you’re someone who lives off of Google calendar or simply keeps a mental list, stick to your schedule! There are definitely things that pop and while it’s important to be flexible, know what your schedule allows and don’t overcommit. I personally color-code different types of tasks (each client has a color, errands have a color, workouts have a color, and so on). I find that seeing my day split up by color, it’s easier for me to download what I have going on that day/week.

Delegate

If you aren’t finding enough hours in your day to get everything done, or if you find that certain tasks take you WAY too long, it’s time to delegate. Think about budgeting for grocery deliveries, a CPA to do your taxes, a house cleaner, a professional blow dry 1x, or any tasks that feels like it’s sucking lots of time from your life.

Get enough sleep

I struggle a lot with sleep anxiety but know I need a certain amount of sleep to be my best self the next day, so I really try to make this a priority. There are lots of great tips if you struggle with sleep anxiety too in this article, but in general, I recommend having a solid nighttime routine you enjoy so you look forward to going to bed.

Be mindful of your scrolling habit

There have been days where I felt like I did my best to get everything done and still came up short, but then I look at the timer on my phone to check how much time I spent scrolling Instagram. It’s staggering how much time I’ve wasted, so now I use the timer function that alerts me when I’ve reached my designated amount of social media time for that day. Such a great way to keep yourself in check and an easy to feature to set up in your phone’s settings.

How do you stay efficient? Always love to hear everyone’s ideas on this topic!