Asked to improve on speed - what's the best way to demonstrate?

Hi guys:

I came to PE from a non-traditional background; recently, I've been asked to improve on my speed. (People don't have issue with my work ethics, it's just that sometimes it takes me longer to do things than others / than what they expect).

Now, it's like I have a bull's eye on my back, and people are paying attention to how fast I'm doing every task. While I understand it's part of the work (and I have no bitter feelings about it), it does make me feel nervous - what's the best way for me to demonstrate that I've improved on my speed? I'm trying to do all my tasks as fast as possible, but I worry it may be a situation where it's just easier to notice if I do something slowly (even if I do 99 things quickly).

Thanks!

3 Comments
 

Are there certain functions that take you longer than others (Excel, power point, memo writing)?  Couple things that have always helped besides just getting faster with shortcuts:

- leveraging prior work done by others wherever possible; if I have to cut a bunch of data from an equipment rental company, I am for sure skimming our CRM for previous work done in the space and seeing what metrics/analyses were useful

- stepping back before starting any complex Excel task and just thinking through the most efficient way to set things up, especially if it will require frequent updating

- separate the priority from non-priority work and organize tasks in smaller chunks (what can I realistically accomplish in the next 30 min)

 

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