When tons of tasks are thrown your way, the first thing that comes to your mind is to work longer and harder as you usually do. It is admirable however, the downside of this is it makes you feel stressed, and sometimes it even leads to burnout. So instead of working harder, why not try to work smarter and enjoy the free time you will get once you do.
So why do you need to work smarter instead of working harder? There are several reasons why you need to do so. It increases your productivity since working smarter means organizing your tasks, you have a better chance of completing more in a day. And, it saves you energy since you’re not putting on long hours of work. It also gives you time to rest, or do your hobbies.
How to Work Smart?
Do not multitask
You probably heard about this already, but multitasking doesn’t help you. Instead, it just adds strain mentally and physically.
Switching to two or more tasks will just compromise the quality of your work. You won’t be focused on one task, making it harder for you to finish it.
Block your time
When you have too many things to do, time blocking might work for you. Time blocking is a time management technique where you plan out every moment of your day in advance and dedicate specific time “blocks” for certain tasks and responsibilities.
There are just too many distractions in our surroundings. Blocking your time and focusing on that task alone will help you finish it as fast as you can without compromising the result.
Turn off notifications
When you hear a notification sound from your phone, I’m pretty sure you stop and drop what you’re doing to check what is it all about. Doing that will make you lose focus on the task at hand. Put your phone in silent mode for an hour or depending on how long you will work on a certain task.
Take breaks
When you block your time in a day, include blocking your breaks as well. You need to refresh and recharge your mind from time to time. You will be less effective if you push yourself too hard.
Learn to delegate
Delegating tasks will make you more productive. You don’t have to do everything. Instead of doing menial tasks like responding to emails, doing bookings, etc., you can focus on working on the more important ones. It will save you from stress, gives you more time to relax and enjoy, and makes you more productive.