Are you running out of time and still haven’t managed to wind up all your tasks? If you find yourself nodding in a timid affirmative, you are not alone because we have all been the brunt of the cruel passage of time at one point or another. Due to this, we get a constant feeling of falling behind the eight ball. This automatically forces us to work hard instead of working smart, which eventually leads to our downfall. You do not have to put in more hours at work to be more productive. In fact, it is the other way round.

1. Change Your Attitude

You can never achieve success at work with a negative attitude. You should be more optimistic and open to taking initiatives and helping others. A person with a constructive attitude would be the first one to pick up the slack in the absence of a peer. They Love what they do and want to do it in the best possible way. As a result, they set very high standards for themselves. Unfortunately, it is very rare to find people with such an unflinching devotion to what they do. When you change your attitude, you start seeing things from a completely different perspective.

2. Create a Schedule and Stick to it

Another step towards working smarter is to create a schedule. Creating a schedule and not following it religiously puts a damper on the purpose of stepping up in the first place. Break down your day into hours and assign tasks to each hour. All successful people have a routine that they stick to, and you should follow along in their footsteps if you want to be more organized as a person and a professional. Creating a schedule is a breeze, thanks to a plethora of online calendar apps. Once you follow the same schedule daily, you get into a habit and start to do tasks quickly, which gives wings to your productivity.

3. Communicate and Collaborate

Irrespective of the industry you belong to, you are most likely to be a part of a team. This is where your communication and collaboration skills come into play. Uninterrupted communication and effective team collaboration paves the way for your success. It can also reduce the risk of misunderstandings and conflicts among the team and also minimizes the chances of errors and costly rework. Listen to what your co-workers are saying and try to convey your message in simple words, while staying true to the topic. Communicating and collaborating with your team members in real time is no longer a hassle, thanks to free task management software.

4. Avoid Multitasking

We all construe multitasking as something as natural and the second habit as breathing. This is partly due to the competitive work environment where we have to multitask regularly. Did you know that our brains are hard-wired to focus on one thing at a time? What we do when we multitask, is to switch focus between multiple tasks. Unfortunately, this makes you less productive instead of boosting your productivity. According to a research conducted at Stanford University, multitasking decreases efficiency, performance and productivity. Other researchers have also shown the negative impact of multitasking on your brain as it can lower your IQ and increase your Stress levels.

5. Automate and Delegate Tasks

Thanks to the advancement in digital technology, you do not have to do everything manually. This saves a lot of effort and time. With automation taking over every imaginable industry, we might see virtual assistants and bots take over mundane jobs. This takes a lot of needless and redundant tasks off your hands, leaving you free to focus on the most important tasks in a much better way. With the advent in project management software, automating and delegating tasks is not an issue anymore. You can easily do that with a few clicks.

6. Do More of What You Love

We all have our likes and dislikes and this also applies to tasks that we perform at work. Unfortunately, not everybody is privileged enough to do what they love. Even if you do not like what you are doing, allocate some time for tasks that you love to do. This helps to recharge your batteries and provide the motivation that you need to dispense off with chores that are rather distasteful. When you perform activities that you love to undertake, it gives you a feeling of fulfilment and inspires you to achieve your goals.

7. Keep Stress and Anxiety at Bay

Work-related stress and anxiety is the biggest roadblock that stops you from being productive at work. Not only does stress has severe repercussions over your physical and mental health, it can also hinder your performance at work. The good news is that you can easily overcome any workplace stress that might be raining over your parade. Regular exercise, listening to music, playing sports, spending quality time with friends and meditation can go a long way towards relieving work-related stress. Plan your tasks to eradicate stress before it negatively affects you physically and mentally.

Conclusion

Do we live in an era where everything is smart so why not work? Today, working smartly is more important than working hard. You can easily do that by following some of the aforementioned ways. The good news is that you can easily implement all these ways and make little adjustments to your working style and get more done with fewer resources. Simple tactics such as creating a schedule, improved communication and collaboration as well as delegating and automating task can help you achieve more.

Which tactics do you use to work smart and be more efficient at work? Feel free to share it with us in the comments section below.