Top tips for working smarter, not harder

Image credit: Brooke Cagle from Unsplash

Whether you run your own business or are working your way up in a company you love, there’s a lot to be said for changing your working behavior to ensure that you are working smarter, not harder. While employers often praise hard work and grit, these attributes can quickly prove detrimental when hard work replaces a work-life balance, leading to inevitable burnout. Working smarter means finding ways to maximize your time, ensuring that tasks are completed to a high standard without having to spend hours on a single project. This will have a positive effect on not only your mood but workplace efficiency and productivity.

With that in mind, here are some tips that you can use to start working smarter today. 

• Set yourself clear boundaries when it comes to work. For example, you should minimize overtime wherever possible. If you’re a business owner, be mindful of your own time. While you will likely be heavily invested in the company’s success, you also need to ensure you have a life outside of your business. 
  
• Streamline your business through outsourcing staff to cover the tasks that you find the most difficult or lie beyond your expertise. For example, outsourcing HR, social media, and accountancy staff can save you a great deal of time and stress. Instead of spending hours trying to do the impossible, you can instead focus your efforts on other areas of your business. 
  
• Don’t be afraid of technology, especially when it harnesses the power to help you complete tasks to a higher standard within a smaller time frame. For example, you can use office management software to keep on top of routine administrative tasks instead of replying to every email yourself. 
  
• Invest in continuous improvement software for your workplace, which can improve efficiency and allow you to try out new ideas with minimal risk involved. For example, the software can be used to put together a new training system or liaise with your customers. 
  
• Sometimes, we overwork ourselves due to poor time management. This issue can easily be resolved by giving yourself a daily schedule and allocating a certain time frame for each task. This ensures that you will hold yourself more accountable and will be able to motivate yourself to do the things you don't want to do. 
  
• If a certain task or project is causing you a great deal of stress, write down a list of the steps you need to take to achieve it. These steps can then serve as a series of smaller goals that are easier to achieve, helping you remain focused and motivated. 
  
• Don’t put off working on a difficult task or project until the end of the day, no matter how tempting that may seem. We are often more productive and alert in the morning, meaning that you may find the task easier to handle if you get started on it first thing in the morning. 
  
• Find  a way to create (or contribute to) a positive working environment. When each employee feels valued by both their employers and colleagues, they will be more productive and engaged within their work.