Regardless what job you have, there always seems to be too few hours in the day. What’s the result? You constantly feel like you’re behind. That feeling is bad for productivity, morale, and honestly your health. So what’s the answer?
Sure you can work longer hours but that’s not always the best solution. Bob Sullivan on CNBC.com explained, “Research that attempts to quantify the relationship between hours worked and productivity found that employee output falls sharply after a 50-hour work-week, and falls off a cliff after 55 hours — so much so that someone who puts in 70 hours produces nothing more with those extra 15 hours, according to a study published last year by John Pencavel of Stanford University.”
Instead of overworking yourself, you should try to be more effective at work by focusing on the right things. If you want to get started tomorrow, you can try any of these proven strategies listed below.
Develop your routines.
We are all creatures of habit. If you’re able to develop routines, you’ll be able to carry out tasks much quicker since you don’t have to think about it. Creating a routine for the entire day should be your goal, but you need to start somewhere.
For practice, you should start with your mornings. In fact, your morning routine is arguably the most important of them all. If you start your day off on the right foot everyday, you’ll guarantee a productive workday. If you need some pointers, here are seven things you should definitely add to your morning routine.
Identify your MITs and trim the fat.
Your boss just assigned you a huge project. Naturally you start to thinking about all the things you’re going to need to do. You crack out the notebook or open up a document and start jotting down your to dos.
The biggest issue with these massive to do lists is that they’re overwhelming. Instead of writing down 15 different things, identify your three to five Most Important Tasks (MITs) and execute. For each MIT you can create smaller subtasks that will help you accomplish your overall goal. The point is, you want to highlight major categories rather than list everything that comes to mind. This will keep you organized and motivated when you need to tackle big projects.
Sharpen up your communication.
Regardless your job, there’s a very good chance you’re going to have to work with others. That said, it’s imperative that you continue to sharpen up your communication skills. When you do you’ll be able to eliminate any wasted time from miscommunications and other misunderstandings.
One communication skill you need to master is keeping things concise. Nobody wants to hear your monologue or read your novel of an email. People are busy, so you need to respect their time. If you practice this skill, others will follow and you will lead a much more productive and efficient work environment.
Streamline your processes with the right tools.
Thanks to wonderful technology you can streamline just about everything. Whether it’s calendar management or invoicing, you need to find and choose the right tools for your business.
When it comes to scheduling you should use a product like calendar that allows you to schedule meetings on the fly, and use AI to make better decisions about how you spend time. Most of these tools also offer tiered pricing so you can find an affordable solution that easily scales with your business.
So if you’re feeling like you need to step things up at work, make sure you use the four strategies listed above!
Renzo Costarella
Renzo Costarella is an entrepreneur, avid learner, and startup enthusiast currently living in Silicon Valley. He consults for several startups in the Bay Area and is pursuing a few ideas of his own.