It is said that when one lives for a stronger
purpose, then hard work is not an option but a necessity. No matter how
inspirational this saying may sound, it doesn’t have much to do with
real life scenarios. The endless list of tasks that need to be completed
on time, the overbearing bosses and ever-increasing work pressure
render the convention of hard work ineffective. When time is your enemy
and productivity is your goal, you need to be a step ahead. That’s when
your mental agility and out-of-the-box thinking comes into play.
Smart work is the latest buzzword in the modern-day
corporate world. It means getting things done with minimal efforts,
resources and within deadlines. Creativity, pragmatism, flexibility,
enthusiasm and astuteness are the most important qualities that will
help you work smart. Keep reading to learn how can you work smart on the
job and expect better results.
Maintain a To-Do List
Smart working people like to
have a clear picture of what needs to be accomplished during the day.
Maintaining a to-do list, preferably on paper than just in your mind,
will help you prioritize your tasks. You can delegate the responsibility
of each task to the right person with clear instructions. A well
maintained and religiously followed to-do list will help you avoid
duplicate work, waste of time and avoid missing out on important
activities.
Steer Clear of Over-Scheduling
Today, workplaces are bursting with workload and it
is up to you not to let it get the best of you. If you think working for
longer hours or on multi-tasking at once can help you pull off
everything, then you are downright wrong. These approaches will only
diminish your productivity in the long run. Therefore, do not commit to
tasks that you cannot complete within the day. Learn to say no when you
are asked to bite off more than you can chew.
Synchronize Your Work and Life
Keeping your productivity high is the priority when
you want to be a smart worker. It is important that you establish a
balance between your work and personal life. A lack of balance between
work and home can cause you to fail at fulfilling the demands of your
profession and your family, leaving you feeling down in the dumps.
Therefore, follow the right lifestyle in order to composedly cater to
the demands of your work and family. This is a great way to avoid job
burnout and depression.
Learning through Reflection
A collective study conducted by researchers at
Harvard Business School, University of North Carolina and HEC Paris
suggests that learning new things by dedicating some time towards
thinking about it proves effective. By thinking, we mean reflective
thinking. A person should articulate the key steps about what they just
learned before putting it into practice. The result will decrease the
probability of having to retake the lesson, better performance and
higher productivity.
Engage is Creative Endeavors
A recent research study conducted by researchers
from, San Francisco State University, Air Force Research Laboratory,
Ohio and Illinois State University suggests a strong positive
correlation between one’s engagement in creative activities and their
work-place performance. The findings have been published in the Journal
of Occupational and Organizational Psychology. Engaging yourself in
non-work creative activities will stimulate your intelligence and create
a bend of mind that favors out of the box thinking. You are more likely
to come up with creative solutions at work to resolve the routine
complexities of business.
By maintaining a learning attitude, following the
learning by reflection technique and by developing logical workflow
patterns, you can work smart and be a step ahead of time. Always
remember, slogging like a beast of burden will only affect your
productivity and push you in a vicious circle.
Source: http://runapptivo.apptivo.com/work-smarter-not-harder-12228.html