Little Work Tips that Cut Right Through Big Jobs
By Sandy Schroeder
Most of us know someone who just seems to breeze through their workload and keep right on going. Somehow they manage to squeeze more out of their day than everybody else. What’s their secret?
Dr. Travis Bradberry, cofounder of TalentSmart, an agency that serves 75 percent of the Fortune 500 companies, says the secret may be to work smarter using better hacks to make the most of the time allotted.
Here are some ways Bradberry suggests to work smarter.
Handle everything once - The minute you stack items in a “to-do” pile, you are adding to the load. Later you will have to go back and review those items again to finish them. When items show up, deal with them and move on.
Tackle the bad stuff first - If you knock off the items that you hate first, you will have the rest of the day to work on jobs that inspire you. Saving dreaded stuff to the end of the day often means postponing it.
Don’t buy into multitasking - Stanford researchers say multitasking is actually less productive than doing one thing at a time. If you doubt that, try it both ways, comparing days with and without multitasking to see how much work gets done.
Be realistic about work loads - When you are asked to do more, only accept if you have time to do the work. People who just keep adding to their workload are frequently the ones who run into depression and burnout. Work hard and do your best, but don’t buy into an overload. You are entitled to feel good about your work without being buried under it.
Keep meetings on time on target - Much of the day can be wasted by meetings that drag on. If you are running the meeting, ask that everybody show up on time and stick to the agenda.
Handle routine stuff last - Set up a system to handle urgent emails and go through the rest of the emails at the end of the day. At the same time, knock off regular mail and any other routine daily tasks.
Get set for tomorrow - Before you leave, clean off your desk and organize everything for the next day. Arriving to find a clean organized desk can do a lot for the morning flow of work.
If these tips help you, keep using them as you accomplish more in the same amount of time.
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