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 some work skill tips on 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 work life balance tips and 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.
