Yet people are happier if they dont feel under pressure to work around the clock and if they stick to the same hours they normally do in the office. Learn about emotional labor and how it impacts well-being in and out of the workplace. Most of us could be more efficient. New redundancy pay right for furloughed workers, Search jobs, franchise opportunities and articles on workingmums.co.uk, Executive - FP&A - Macquarie Asset Management EMEA, Business Compliance Commodities and Global Markets EMEA, Senior Manager, Foreign Exchange Operations, Analyst/Associate, EMEA, Young women lose out on 5,000 a year compared to men at start of their careers, Amazon to offer parents term-time-only working, I was never not offered an opportunity because I was part time, Lloyds sets minimum amount of office days for hybrid workers. In the world of contact center operations, this is one of the true advantages of using a platform like Cyara to automate many of the time-consuming manual tasks associated with testing and monitoring your customer experience (CX) solutions. As the leader of the team, I have to scope out the project, assign tight deadlines, and manage not just the output, but focus on how the work is getting done. Channel your inner elephant by learning how improving your concentration helps your memory. YouTube sets this cookie to measure bandwidth, determining whether the user gets the new or old player interface. For example, at the prep stage, online meal kits and delivery services can make shorter, smarter work of assembling the necessary ingredients. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Be mindful of how you schedule your day and any possible distractions that could come your way. Second, remind them that perfect is often the enemy of good. You can't do your most important work if you feel trapped inside. The philosophy promotes efficiency and innovation to achieve better results and optimize productivity. Hard work is mentally and physically exhausting. This module we will explore the difference between productive and unproductive work, the importance of prioritizing, and basics of time planning. Reflect on what aspects of your work empower you and make conscious choices to pursue them. She holds a BBA in Marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. Learn more about what that means and how to make it happen. Work Smarter, Not Harder: The Importance of To-Do Lists 25 Jan, 2023 | Read in 6 minutes. At every stage you could tap into ways to save yourself time and energy. This is a BETA experience. Managers can play an important role in helping their teams prioritize the tasks that matter the most. Organize your office by getting rid of paper, trash, and any other unnecessary items. Better Organization Will Enhance Your Productivity Don't shift from the computer to the floor to the field and back again. This will allow you to focus on what you need to get done during that time while also guaranteeing yourself time free from unexpected disruptions. 4 Steps to Regain Confidence, Living a Life of Fulfillment: How To Find Peace, Purpose, And Happiness, 20 Monthly Goals Ideas To Help You Grow in 2023. read more, Receive recruitment related emails from workingmums delivered to your inbox, Sales Move along, folks, nothing more to see here. However, when possible, do your work in short bursts rather than in long, sustained pushes. He assigns the approximate hours it will take to complete each milestone. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. This type of scheduling requires good time management skills, too. Organizing your workday effectively will help you feel like you're not working as hard, but you'll still accomplish plenty of tasks. With the tips included in this guide, you can manage your time more effectively and work smarter, not harder. Yet research shows that contrary to what so many of us have been taught, the errors we make need to be close to the right answer in order to be educational. Instead, find methods that work with your personal needs, even if they don't fit typical advice. Finally, lets remember that sometimes done is better than perfect. Plus, it makes you a more efficient worker. Get organized with apps If you feel overwhelmed with your day-to-day, try using a project management, to-do list, or time-tracking app to wrangle your daily tasks. When sending emails or instant messages, keep your information short and to the point. Maybe youre putting hours into status updates for your manager, who never actually reads them, or prioritizing a presentations design over the message youre trying to relay. What is it that makes renewing a passport so daunting? We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Start with a specific desired outcome and end with action items so that theyre quick and painless. Work Smarter, Not Harder: 15 Tips to Increase Your Productivity - G2 The only thing that will ease this tension is to complete the task. If I am assigning work to my team, its my responsibility to connect them with colleagues who might already have some of the answers to the problems we are working on. You aren't afraid of working hard. Identify the activity with the highest long-term payoffs and benefits, and begin working on it today without further delay. Discover how BetterUp measurably impacts key business outcomes for organizations like yours. Instead of working yourself to exhaustion, figure out ways to delegate or save labor while achieving the same desired outcome. Your attention span wears out after focusing for too long, so make sure you schedule downtime in your workday. What do you do when managing feelings is a key part of your job? Consider that companies who use Cyara to set up automated test cases to verify the functionality of their IVR paths are not only benefitting from the testing efficiency and time saved in development. However, when and where possible, combining tasks that follow a similar format can save you time and energy, making you more productive without working yourself to exhaustion. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The benefits in terms of work life balance are such, she said, that employees would look at every way to make it work, for instance, reviewing how they waste time during the working day on meetings, emails and the like. The key to greater productivity is to work smarter, not harder. E: sales@workingmums.co.uk Some of the most compelling results businesses have seen with automation include: Automation-driven efficiencies like these can directly impact an organizations bottom line, in more ways than one. What are you grateful for today? Id personally recommend using a time tracking app. Your body knows it, and most certainly, your mind knows it. Finally, go through your inbox and archive important emails to focus on the most critical messages. Killinger described their cloud-based solution as a fitbit for work for employees. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The highest achievers manage their time exceptionally well. Your email address will not be published. that the norm for measuring productivity has been to measure time rather than output when this was no longer what industry needed. E: support@workingmums.co.uk, Contact us by post: You cant fire on all cylinders if youre not taking care of your mind and body. Why are we so confident? Working harder and working smarter differ in terms of complexity of terms. She said employers should have a discussion with their employees about different ways of working and ask them if they could do their work in fewer days. Working smarter, not harder, is a concept that focuses on streamlining how you work to make the entire process more efficient. Facebook sets this cookie to display advertisements when either on Facebook or on a digital platform powered by Facebook advertising after visiting the website. If you constantly start and stop that process, youre wasting time catching up where you left off. FR. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". Radical Self-Care: How To Redefine Boundaries Between Career And Life, 6 Clues You Might Be A MultipotentialiteAnd The Best Way To Leverage It, Why Companies Hire Contract Workers And The Downside Of These Short-Stint Roles, How To Cultivate Non-Attachment To Work Performance To Find Balance, 3 Key Ways To Begin Overcoming Deep Perfectionism And Self-Doubt, How To Be Honest In A Job Interview Without Sounding Overly Negative. Yet people are happier if they dont feel under pressure to work around the clock and if they stick to the same hours they normally do in the office. Plus, you don't want to exhaust yourself trying to solve it alone if you know your manager could help you with it. Strong communication skills go a long way, whether you're an independent contractor, an entrepreneur, or a CEO. Her research shows people who work from home often put a lot of pressure on themselves due to a blurring of work life barriers and managers sending emails at all times. Keep in mind, learning to work smart effectively will take time and dedication. Its not uncommon to spend too much time and effort working on the wrong things. Consider investing some time into improving those processes. It draws off energy that you need to maintain things that really matter in your life, like your family relations and friendship. As tempting as it might be to burn the midnight oil, by stopping and picking up projects the next day, you'll accomplish more in the long run. 10 Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder - WikiJob With all its various attachments for grating, shredding, and chopping, this tool is designed to save time by removing as much manual effort as possible. Productive Procrastination: Is It Good or Bad? What does it mean to work smart? Get productivity tips delivered straight to your inbox. Whether youre a beginner looking to define an industry term or an expert seeking strategic advice, theres an article for everyone. Fear is a fact of life but it doesnt have to be paralyzing. 13 free email signature templates for Gmail Why starting a side hustle makes you a better full-time employee. The most recent update was in June 2023. Bradley Killinger, Chief Executive Officer at Sapience Analytics, also spoke about the role of technology in supporting different ways of working and improving employee well being. Over time we develop bad habits or keep doing tasks one way even though we have the tools to do them an easier way. If I was assigned a project by my boss, I thought it was my responsibility to complete it on my own. hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(4099946, '0d1cda76-2cf4-4c1b-9a3d-89941ef12736', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Now that youre saving time by getting yourself organized, youll need to learn how to manage that time. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Facebooks algorithm is perpetuating gender bias when it comes to job adverts, newread more, Young women are losing out on over 5,000 a year compared to young men because theyreread more, Amazon has launched a new term-time contract. Yahoo sets this cookie to identify if the cookie data needs to be updated in the visitor's browser. I struggled with being over prepared and striving for perfection. 13 free email signature templates for Gmail (and how to install them). The benefits in terms of work life balance are such, she said, that employees would look at every way to make it work, for instance, reviewing how they waste time during the working day on meetings, emails and the like. But when you think about working smarter, before you jump to efficiency, pay attention to effectiveness. I know, Ive already said this, but its really important to understand this point. Required fields are marked *. Work with us and we can very quickly give you the answers to both these questions. You waste more time than youd think. addthis.com sets this cookie to determine the usage of addthis.com service. Here are just some of the positive gains: Increased Efficiency Efficiency relates to the quality of work you produce. Get it right, and you'll end up working smarter, not harder, to get more done in less time - even when time is tight and pressures are high. The Benefits of Working Smarter -- Not Harder - Seacoast Bank . The way we work needs to change to reflect what employees want and what motivates them to be more productive, a webinar this week heard. Without much coaching or guidance from my bosses, I wasted hours on details that didnt matter, on pulling and analyzing the wrong data sets, and on answering the wrong questions. Is there anything I can stop doing? For some people, 15- to 20-minute breaks might be tough to pull off, but taking short breaks throughout the day can still help you to refresh your mind and reset your attention span. It does not store any personal data. If you want to get somewhere without going down the path of burnout, it might be time to consider if you could be working smarter, not harder. Chances are, you have a long-running to-do list. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Even with something as simple as preparing a meal. Whether in work or life, most of us strive to accomplish more in less time. Nathaniel Kleitman, one of the early sleep researchers, discovered that we operate in 90 to 120-minute cycles called basic rest-activity cycles. Science has proven that our brain can last for about 90 minutes at optimal levels before losing steam, after which it needs a break. Working Smart vs. Working Hard: Which is better? - LinkedIn We will also reflect together on some of our past work situations and create our own individual work plans. However, if you can apply creativity to achieve the same goal, youre more likely to enjoy your job and wish to continue doing it. FreshChat uses this cookie to track visitor identity and chat sessions performed. I have to closely collaborate with functions like finance, procurement, and product development. People are expected to do more in less time with less resourcesand produce a better product on top of it all! We're on a mission to help everyone live with clarity, purpose, and passion. Sapience analytics helps employers understand the capacity of their organisation, peoples workloads and potential for burnout. I would spend hours updating my project list for one-on-one check-ins with my boss, which at the end of the day, he never looked at. But getting this right takes discipline and motivation. Learning how to say "no" or even "not right now" will help you prioritize your energy and focus. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. If that means changing jobs, it might be time to make the switch. One of the first steps towards working smarter is the effective management of tasks and time. Meetings can be one of the biggest time-sucks for people. We underestimate the value of structure for adults, she said, even though we recognise it as important for children. It's about living a fuller, more authentic life. 4 Ways to Work Smarter Not Harder for the Best Productivity - LinkedIn You can work smarter by learning how to manage your energy. Studies show that striving to be perfect can not only sabotage success at work, but it can ultimately lead to burnout and cause health problems. Take naps . It simply refers to working hard when you need to - but the rest of the time, better the processes, workflows, support, and contributions you make to a task or project - regardless of how large or small - so that by evolving yourself through your updated tasks, you won't always have to work so hard. Laura Giurge, Postdoctoral Research Associate at London Business School, spoke about the links between mental well being and productivity. Deutsch | also spoke about the role of technology in supporting different ways of working and improving employee well being. Sometimes when you always say yes to others, you put your own needs second. The end. You don't have to tread the beaten path to optimize your productivity. Working Smarter Not Harder (Benefits and Strategies) - Indeed Its exactly what it sounds like: managing your manager. Discover how to-do lists can help you work smarter, not harder. At the end of the day, remember that you're growing, and that's something to be proud of. Some might argue that these are simply mistakes we make in the course of our careers, and mistakes can help us learn and be better leaders. the equivalent of 3 extra people for every 20 you employ. Make sure to hide that cell phone! Help Your Team (Actually) Work Smarter, Not Harder Tackling your tasks in batches can keep your momentum rolling. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Get a sneak peek at the first chapter, Work Smarter, Not Harder, available for download now. And what would be the benefits to you if you could? Goals trigger behavior, sustain momentum, guide and align your focus, and promote self-mastery. Also, nonessential software on your computer can be considered digital clutter. A study conducted by researchers at UCLAs Center on Everyday Lives of Families (CELF) identified a direct link between the stress hormone cortisol and clutter. Hotjar sets this cookie to detect a user's first pageview session, which is a True/False flag set by the cookie. 10 Tips To Work Smarter Not Harder - Forbes