Restrict the time you spend checking emails The constant ping of Outlook is so engrained in our psyche that we respond like Pavlov’s dog each time we hear it. Apparently, some studies have shown that reading emails takes up a whopping 28 per cent of the working day. Experts suggest curbing your natural instincts and limiting yourself to checking it twice a day. Just think of all that time you’ll save, which you can use to browse the ASOS site for January sale items…

It’s alright to let your calls go to voicemail on occasion Unless your boss is a stickler for you picking up the phone each time it rings, then you may wish to consider the benefits of having a few hours free from the tyranny of the telephone and returning calls at a set time each day.

Draw up a plan for the day Obviously you need to factor in time where you react to events as they unfold – whether that’s your boss’s last-minute request for a hotel booking in Frankfurt, or the PowerPoint presentation that has to be updated urgently for the sales conference. But it’s also a good idea to have a plan in your own mind of the things you want to achieve on any given day, that way you won’t allow yourself to be led astray by too many peripheral distractions.

Don’t spend hours on Facebook Before you cry “I would never do that!” in rightful indignation, be honest and have a think about exactly how much time you spend cooing over pictures of your friend’s new baby, or wondering why ‘jelly babies’ is trending on Twitter. Of course, a proportion of the time spent on social media may be for legitimate work purposes, but you still need to build that into your day, so use handy tools such as rescuetime.com to help you keep track.

Keep meetings brief and to the point Personally, I’m a big fan of meetings – I do so love to air my opinions to anyone who will listen, but even I have to admit they can be incredibly time-consuming and often pointless. Nowadays, it’s easy to replace face-to-face meetings with an email, or a Skype call that cuts out travel times.

Get help increasing your efficiency There are some nifty software tools out there in cyberspace that will boost your efficiency no end – three of the most frequently recommended are roboform.com, boomeranggmail.com and dropbox.com. Take advantage of this free technology to help you win brownie points with the boss.

Read the full article by SEO and online marketing expert Jayson DeMers at tinyurl.com/pp8gmkw.