Small changes can make a big difference in the overall picture but it’s not always easy to do. We, as humans, get stuck in our ways and can hinder small, but important changes in how we work. We use excuses like “it only takes a second” or “I’ve always done it this way” to get out of simplifying things because we think it won’t make a difference. 

When you work in an office that is sending out multiple emails a day small changes can save you a lot of time. Think of it this way - in our office we tend to send out, I would guess about 20-30 emails a day. They all come from the same two or three templates typically with the occasional one that needs to be totally revamped for one reason or another. Prior to templates each and every email had to either be copied and pasted after looking it up or typed out over and over. Right there, the template saves time. But even with templates things can be missed, spell check is wonderful but it does not catch everything. 

I personally have spent plenty of time going in and fixing the mistakes that spell check has caught over and over. I have read the templates and found issues with spelling or other things and just have a mental checklist to fix it each time. One day I decided to go in and fix all of the mistakes I found and do a thorough check. It may only save me a few seconds per email but when you look at the time saved over a course of a month or a year it really does add up. 

Of course there are plenty of other ways to save time - apps, having a set schedule or way to do things, finding a workflow that is good for you and many more. I would recommend taking the time to just do it. Every few months review how you are working, see if there are easy changes to make and work smarter, not harder.