Working smarter, not harder, entails working on a whole lot of factors like, improved time management, understanding what has to be done when, and leveraging tools to keep you on target.
Working smarter also boosts your productivity and performance while improving your job happiness and satisfaction. It can also help you become a valued asset where you work, therefore enhancing your job security. Although working smarter involves some experience and growth to put the methods in place, still, it is not a herculean task.
Here are 7 ideas in to help you work SMARTER, not HARDER.
1. Make your to-do-list concise
Keep your to-do list concise and focused on the first three most significant tasks for the day. Tasks that will make you feel incredibly productive once accomplished. Concentrate on these tasks, one at a time, before moving on to less critical ones. Also when you realize a task is getting too difficult, leave it and move on to the next task then come back to it later. A refreshed mind might just be what you need to detect that error.
2.Respond to people or things quickly
Make it a practice to respond to people or things as soon as possible. For example, if you receive an email that demands a response, reply quickly to remove it from your to-do list. Furthermore, if you need to reply to a mail later or get back to a person about something, write it down so you don't forget and make an effort to do it within 24 hours.
3.Work in 90-minutes block
According to studies, your brain can best focus for up to 90 minutes at a time. So, consider taking more breaks and break down your day into 90-minute blocks. This will help boost your overall productivity by maximizing your brain's natural capacity to focus. Take a walk, get into a conversations with people around, you can rest your head for a while by taking a nap and then continue with your task for the day.
4.Practice stress-reduction techniques
Asides the 90-minutes block, you can use stress-reduction techniques such as meditating, listening to music, or doing yoga. These techniques can help you manage stress on the job and enhance your physical, emotional, and mental health.
5.Keep that pesky phone away.
Make sure you put your phone away! According to research, having your phone nearby, even if you are not using it, might cause you to perform 20% less than if it is out of sight.
On the other hand, you can also cut off the internet or distracting websites with apps like StayFocusd or Freedom.
We all desire the best possible use of our time. Therefore, your productivity will skyrocket by learning how to manage your time and energy.
6. Stop Multitasking
Multitasking is a very efficient tool when you have so many tasks in front of you but, when you realize you are doing jobs halfway and end up dumping it or too many tasks are just pilling up, you take a step backward and try picking your task one after the other. For the sake of emphasis, try to ensure you finish one task completely before taking on the next task.
7. Chunk similar tasks together
Batching similar tasks can help you be more efficient because you're not switching back and forth between different types of work. This is especially useful for small tasks because you can knock out a bunch at once (and get a nice kick of productivity).
Plus, you can be intentional about blocking off time for the things that distract you—such as answering text messages or checking your social feed. You can even chunk small tasks together and get them done between meetings.
Try out these techniques and see how well it works out for you.
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