Learning to work smarter, not harder can improve your productivity and performance skills, and it leads to job satisfaction. It can also make you a valuable person to the organization for which you work, increasing your job security. Implementing the strategies necessary to work smarter, not harder takes some practice and development.
Why is it important to work smarter, not harder?
There are several reasons why it’s important to work smarter, not harder.
- Working smarter:
- It saves your energy
- It Increases productivity at work
- It Increases motivation
- It makes you more valuable
- It Increases self-esteem
1. Focus on your daily routine
When you develop a routine, you can carry out tasks quicker as you don’t have to spend time thinking about what task to do. It’s like working on autopilot mode. Firstly you need to make a habit of weak up early in the morning.
To make the most out of your morning, prepare the night before. By taking just 10 to 20 minutes to prepare for the following day, you can make a huge difference in your workflow. You’ll wake up knowing where to start and what problems need solving while having the list to handle them, all because you prepared your mind the night before.
2. Keep growing yourself by learning new things
To become better in your profession and maintain a sense of fulfillment in all you do, it’s important to stay focused on your self-development. Keeping this goal may be difficult as life gets more hectic, but remember that you also enrich others and enhance your performance across the board by investing in yourself.
Staying competitive in today’s global marketplace means that organizations need to be innovative, adaptive, and ever-changing. Achieving this depends on the skill and knowledge of the workforce.
To innovate, try a new process, or do something new requires learning.
People need to learn new knowledge or skills to see things in a new light and take that next leap. When organizations do not support a continual process of learning, innovation does not happen, processes remain unchanged, and nothing new is ever accomplished.
Employees need to be able to challenge themselves to obtain new knowledge, ideas, and skills. Learning needs to be on a flexible, on-demand, and continual basis to contribute to this kind of cutting-edge performance.
3. Keep a track record of every small activity, make a to-do list, and arrange productive meetings usually
What is a To-Do List? The definition is a simple one. It’s a list of tasks you need to complete or things that you want to do.
Having a list of everything you need to write down in one place means you shouldn’t forget anything important. By prioritizing the tasks in the list you plan the order in which you’re going to do them and can quickly see what needs your immediate attention and what tasks you can leave until a little later.
One of the most important reasons you should use a to-do list is that it will help you stay organized. When you write all your tasks in a list, they seem more manageable. When you’ve got a clear outline of the tasks you’ve got to do and those you’ve completed, it helps you stay focused, while freeing up space in your mind for other more creative tasks.
When you complete a task, you can cross it off your list. This gives you a sense of progress and achievement, something you’ll lack if you’re always rushing from one task to the next. If you feel a sense of achievement, it spurs you on and motivates you to keep moving forward.
4. Set small deadlines
Deadlines are important for helping you achieve both large and small goals. However, you won’t instantly find success in the world of business by just setting arbitrary deadlines for all of your projects. Your deadlines need to set you up for success—they must be strategic.
Strategic deadlines are designed to help you move closer to your goals every day, week, and month. In this way, it keeps you experiencing small wins along the way, rather than simply painting a huge target that is months away, which adds to your stress levels.
If you want to achieve goals, writing them down is only the first step. The next step is to identify tasks and set deadlines to meet them. The reason to-do lists and deadlines are so effective is that they make large projects or goals more manageable.
Consider these tips while you set deadlines:
- Schedule each step on your calendar. This will prevent you from procrastinating and missing deadlines.
- Write down your deadlines. Writing down your academic goals and how to achieve them helps you analyze your thoughts and turn them into actions. Because it makes setting goals feel more concrete, writing them down helps you commit to them.
- Figure out the right time limit. If you give yourself an hour to do your homework, you’ll spend an hour on it, but if you give yourself 30 minutes, you can probably get it done faster. Try not to make the time limit so short that it’s impossible to reach.
- Use a timer to keep track of time and prevent you from working too slowly.
- Do the difficult parts first. Getting the tougher tasks over with can spur your motivation and make the rest of the project go more quickly.
- Anticipate mistakes or delays. If you miss a deadline, what will you do? Figure out a plan ahead of time for dealing with problems so you don’t get discouraged or lose sight of your academic goal if something happens.
- Determine your priorities. Start by figuring out which steps are most important in achieving your academic goal and see if there are any ways you can save time. If you run out of time, know which parts you can skip or do quickly.
- Find support. Ask for help when you needed. Sharing your deadlines is important because it holds you accountable, making you less likely to miss or change deadlines.
- Get creative by finding ways to make setting deadlines fun. Make a chart, create a calendar, or draw a picture to visualize the process of finishing your project.