Urgh, hard work. Nobody likes hard work, but there’s no way around it: you have work to do and it must be done or you risk being fired. This blog isn’t telling you how to cheat work and do less whilst still earning the same amount, you lazy buggers (keep dreaming) It is about how to work smarter and more efficiently. Yes I am making your life easier. You’re welcome!
Prioritize
Assess everything that needs to be done. Highlight what are the most important tasks and put them at the top of your “things to do” list. Write down how long each task should accurately take and be realistic with it. Give yourself ample thinking time so you can be sure every detail is accomplished on time and accurately.
Learn to say no. Don’t be Mr Nice guy! Be realistic about what you can complete in a day. If you’re given a task where it isn’t practical you will be able to finish it that day, let that be known!
Avoid multi-tasking because you often get less done since your brain is switching back and forth between tasks. Pick one thing to work on and then put your best effort into that until it is accomplished.
Getting more done in less time
Evaluate your methods. You want them to be as efficient as possible. For example, do your work when you have no distractions surrounding you. Also, ever heard of the carb-crash? I know for a fact I work much slower in the early afternoon due to the “carb-crash,” and I work much more efficiently in the morning. (After 9:30 when I’ve consumed an efficient amount of caffeine, of course). I therefore mould my timetable around this and do the harder tasks in the morning
Look for short-cuts. No, this does not mean taking the easiest method for the sake of being lazy! For example, if you respond to numerous emails and end up answering the same questions over and over again, save your responses. When them questions come up again, cut and paste your response. Life hack. Write this down.
Don’t procrastinate. To read our blog on how to do this, click here.
Evaluate your methods. You want them to be as efficient as possible. Do your work when you have no distractions surrounding you and try to do things in one batch rather than one at a time. You want your efficiency to be maximized as much as possible.
Take care of yourself!
Rest. You should ideally be getting eight hours of sleep every night. Find out what happens when you don’t. You can certainly pull continuous 12 hour days at work, but it’s not sustainable. After a certain point, your body becomes tired and your mind wears down, leading to more frequent lapses in concentration and careless mistakes.
Take periodic breaks. Even at the office, you need to allow time for your mind to regroup and recharge. Push yourself hard for the first 50 minutes of every hour and then reward yourself with a 10 minute break.
There you have it: how to work smarter and more efficiently (without being lazy, remember!)