Efficiency and productivity go hand in hand, but how can you ensure that you’re accomplishing your tasks in an efficient manner?

We all want to be more efficient in our professional lives, and for good reason. Efficiency not only produces higher productivity and more success, but also a more meaningful, less stressful work environment – and who doesn’t want that in their life?

So with that in mind, here are three excellent tips for increasing your efficiency:

1. Plan and Structure – It’s impossible to be efficient without a sufficient plan and structure to your business. If you’re not taking the time to patiently and methodically plan the steps of your business – say, how you’re going to increase your lead generation, or where your marketing dollars will go – and if you’re not structuring those plans in a clear way – say, devising standard routines across your calendars – efficiency will be a mere word in your vocabulary, rather than an aspect of your business.

2. Don’t Be the Multi-Tasking Hero – For some reason, multitasking has taken on a heroic standing in today’s business climate, but as Kevin Daum recently wrote in Inc, it produces less-than-stellar results: “[People] fool themselves into believing they are getting more done, when in reality they are accomplishing less and the quality of the work is poor.”

So, rather than being the hero, concentrate on few tasks with more depth, and more importantly, delegate tasks to team members and associates who perform them better than you do.

3. Take your Downtime Seriously – Finally, do not skimp on your downtime. As we’ve written before, there are very compelling arguments against the workaholic schedule; after all, if you’re tired and overworked, chances are you will not produce good work! Therefore, take your downtime as seriously as you do your working hours, so that you are rested and prepared for what your business requires.