Work Smarter

If, like us, you’ve had a very busy few weeks, it can be frustrating when the work keeps piling up and you feel like you’re not moving any closer towards completing your to-do list.

Somehow everything becomes ‘urgent’ and all of those other things that were a priority at the start of the week, are now still patently waiting for you to give them some attention at the end of it, and it’s now lunchtime…on a Friday…ahhhhhh, time for a meltdown, right?

WRONG! Well, it should be wrong, because a meltdown or temper-tantrum is not going to help anyone, especially at the very end of the working week. So, we thought, how can help that large group of us who spend our working week trying to be ‘hyper-productive’ but actually end up tying ourselves in knots?

You know how it is, you have SO much to do that you end up scurrying from task to task, always checking your e-mail, organizing something, making a quick call, running an errand, etc whilst not actually making any real indent into the important work that needs doing.

People tend to fall into this trap by believing idea that “staying busy” means that you’re working hard and as such, are going to be more successful in fulfilling your tasks. Now, while this may work to some extent, this mindless “productivity” can result in a tendency to waste time on menial tasks, and increase your stress levels when it comes to the bigger ones.

So, here’s some top tips that we’ve researched to help make your week a little less manic, and a little more productive…

Work smarter:

The old adage, “work smarter, not harder” is a popular saying for a reason. Instead of being manically repetitive in the way you approach tasks, try instead to be thoughtful and always ask yourself whether something can be done more efficiently, or eliminated altogether.

Managing your time effectively isn’t about squeezing as many tasks into your day as possible. It’s about simplifying how you work, allowing you to produce higher quality projects, and relieving stress.

Complete important tasks first.

This is the golden rule of time management. Start each working day by identifying the two or three tasks that are the most crucial to complete, and do those first.

The best thing about this is that when you’re done, the day has already been a success. So no matter what happens afterwards, you’ve achieved something that mattered.

Say “no” more.

Learning to juggle a lot of different engagements and manage our time around them can be a great thing. But it can however leave you feeling overstretched, overwhelmed and pretty frazzled!

So, at some point, you need to learn to say no and take back some control of your time. Your objective should be to take on only those commitments that you know you have time for, and that you truly care about – the ones that will really deliver you some value.

Focus on what you’re doing.

Shut down all of your open browser windows, including your email, put your phone away and switch off from the noise around you.

Concentrate on this one task in hand and pretend that nothing else exists. Immerse yourself in it and you’ll be surprised at how much more efficient you’ll be at completing it.

Don’t sweat the small stuff.

We often spend far too much time on projects that don’t deserve that much attention because we get too hung up small details or insignificant factors.

When it comes to producing quality work, we’re all guilty of being perfectionists, but it is always far more productive to push forward and get the bulk completed before getting weighed down by all of the silly smalls things that crop up in the middle.

Enjoy yourself!

Finally, always remember how important it is to enjoy yourself at work. We ca get so caught up in being busy and trying to please everyone around us that we forget what we’re doing it for in the first place.

If you find that work is getting too much and you’ve lost sight of the positives, try to think of what you can do to spend more time enjoying it. We spend most of our time at work, so we should always endeavour to ensure that what we’re doing is bringing some value to our lives – besides the monetary benefit!

If you’re looking to get some more enjoyment from your brand or next campaign, why not get in touch with us today and see how we can help!