Don’t Work Harder; Work Smarter with These 8 Tips


I’m sure you walk into work every morning with a large to-do list on your desk waiting to be tackled throughout the day. However, you may find yourself rushing half of the tasks as you run out of time. Therefore these tips offer a solution to working smarter, rather than harder. 

1) Improve your time management skills

Although for many workers this can seem easier said than done, there are actually a few simple rules to help manage your time. For example, when tackling a top priority task, I would recommend turning off your phone and email notifications to avoid a direct distraction. Avoiding ideas of multi-tasking will also help, because once you begin another task that you think will only take a second will more than likely ruin your focus, potentially leading to other smaller tasks being done rather than the most important. Top tip: Set yourself a deadline and do everything in your power to stick to it!


2) Use the phone more often

Nowadays in this electronic world, we are always using our phones as the direct form of communication. Therefore, to save time at work, pick up the phone instead of writing emails because it is a major time-saver. Or even better, if the colleague you are trying to communicate with works in the same office, choose to go and talk to him or her which allows you to get some exercise.


3) Use a “to don’t” list

The famous to-do list is generally something we all create to remind ourselves of what to do during the day. If you are like me then you feel a sense of achievement when crossing tasks off the list one by one as the day goes on. However, we often find that non-essential tasks are placed on there. Therefore the to-don’t list is something which is there to create a more efficient idea of what tasks to avoid during the day. You just have to work out what works best for you when you are trying to save precious time to become more productive.


4) Expect failure and fight paranoia

Every task you complete in a working week is not always going to be perfect. However, when failure appears itself people can become a tad paranoid and fear this will now be a trend. You need to remember that projects will go wrong and failure is expected. Failing is a learning curve for everyone, and you can identify your mistakes in order to move forward.


5) Ask the right questions

How do you get feedback? The secret is to ask the right questions at the right time. When you do this, you are gathering the information you need to help in decision making. This will save you time and you will be able to cut meetings to a minimum.


6) Learn as much as you can

In my opinion, you learn something new every day at work. Enhancing your skills profile is always beneficial, and you can even identify where you need to improve in order to fill the gap. Talk to important connections and keep on top of networking; this will keep you updated on trends and developments between different companies/colleagues. Being full of skills and knowledge will be the first thing a big boss will idolise, and therefore when an opportunity arises, you will be the best-equipped! If that’s not a way of working smarter, than I don’t know what is.


7) Look after your greatest resource

You may think time is the most important resource. However, it is actually YOU. Lack of sleep, exercise and relaxation can interfere with productivity levels and you may find you work longer and longer hours. This is the exact opposite of what you want. It is useful to remember that you need a good 15 minute break after every couple of hours of work. Taking these breaks will refresh your system and give you exercise, making this one of the best ways of working smarter, not harder.


8) Don’t fall into the trap of working smarter and harder

Although society is obsessed with doing everything smarter for better efficiency, the most important thing to remember is to accept when to switch of the computer and not fill up the time with even more work.


And that’s it! I hope these tips helped in one way or another, and if so feel free to let us know! 

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