10 Quick Tips for Leveraging Your Time and Energy More Effectively Utilizing these strategies will allow you to achieve the maximum result with time to minutes or hours to spare.

By Alan Fox Edited by Dan Bova

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

We all want more efficiency in business and in life. Most people simply don't have enough time or energy in the day to accomplish everything they would like to complete.

Here are a variety of energy-leveraging tools that will allow you to spend the least amount of time and effort necessary to achieve the maximum result.

1. Skip it. Only read words, especially in emails, that are relevant to your life or business. If it isn't relevant, skip it.

Related: 31 Tips for Perfecting Your Productivity

2. Establish deadlines. Give yourself a deadline. You will find that you work far more efficiently when you know that you have to complete a task by a certain date and time. Also, give others deadlines. That way you won't have to follow up as much. And expect deadlines to be met.

3. Be clear. When you make a little extra effort to be clear you will receive fewer questions and leave less room for errors. This can save you an enormous amount of time and headaches.

4. Stand at meetings. When you stand, meetings do not last as long.

5. Value long-term relationships. You should minimize having to deal with new individuals or companies, because they require far more effort. You will need to spend much less time supervising a known employee or contractor, or interacting with a long-term investor, then you would when you're working with someone new.

6. Delegate. Nothing is more efficient than having someone else complete an entire task for you, provided they will do it effectively.

Related: Strip the Unnecessary Out of the Day to Day and Get Stuff Done

7. Educate. The more you know, the less time you will spend consulting experts and the more effective your questions and decisions will be. The more your coworkers know, the greater number of decisions can be made at their level.

8. Do it immediately. There is always a cost when you look at the same matter two or three times, so do it immediately. Procrastination often takes more time to explain.

9. Multi-goal. Rather than try to do two tasks at once, which leads to inefficiency, try to make each of your tasks accomplish multiple goals.

10. Create procedures. If a task will be repeated many times, establish a procedure, preferably in writing. There is no need to reinvent the wheel. Established procedures reduce errors.

Whatever your business, increasing your efficiency will have bottom-line results. By using these tools -- and others you develop on your own -- you can leverage your energy to get the most out of your time and effort every day.

Related: 3 Ways Apple Automator Can Speed Up Your Workflow

Alan Fox

Author and President of ACF Property Management

Alan Fox is the president of ACF Property Management, Inc., and author of The New York Times bestseller People Tools: 54 Strategies for Building Relationships, Creating Joy, and Embracing Prosperity. He is also the author of the forthcoming book, People Tools for Business.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Resumes & Interviewing

Outsmart the Job Hunt with a Lifetime AI Assistant

This AI resume tool builds, formats, and optimizes—so you don't have to.

Personal Finance

I Got a Prenup to Protect My Business and My Marriage — Here's Why You Should Too

Get a prenup to protect your business, stay in control of its assets and income, and secure long-term financial clarity and peace of mind.

Leadership

Today's Top CEOs Share These 4 Traits

The meaning of leadership has evolved as the business landscape has shifted in recent years. Here are the four traits shared by today's most successful CEOs.

Health & Wellness

This Founder Hit Rock Bottom. Now His Company Is Helping People Slow Down Aging.

A longevity startup is designed to slow aging by targeting its 12 biological root causes.