Have you ever heard the phrase, "Don't work hard, work smart"? It might be simple but it's still true. You don't have to work endless hours to be productive. Staying busy or working hard doesn't necessarily mean that you are going to be more successful.
Just because you stay extra hours at work, it doesn't mean you are productive. In fact, the more hours you work, the more likely you are to be less productive because you are tired and your mind is worn out. Staying busy all the time can often lead to mindless "productivity", which is a constant need to do something and the habit of wasting time on menial tasks.
"Work smarter, not harder" is an old adage that signals a simple way to go about work of any kind. Before you start working, you need to take a step back and organise yourself, considering what's the most efficient way to go about work. You need to simplify your tasks so you can accomplish them faster.
Here are some tips to help you manage your time:
First of all, you need to categorise each task and complete the most important and the most difficult ones first. Once you get those out of the way, it will be easier to focus on the other tasks as you won't have to stress out about being able to complete those and your mind is sharper in the first hours of work.
Once you've completed those tasks, you'll feel motivated to continue because you have already succeeded at finishing the essential.
You need to learn to say "no." Although making various commitments can teach us how to juggle engagements and manage our time, it can also be a trap and you might end up caught up in too many engagements. You should only take on those commitments that you know you have time for and that are important to you.
Get enough sleep. Although you might value the extra time you get when you sleep less, the truth is that some people need to sleep at least 7 hours for their brains to function optimally. If you don't get enough sleep, that might affect your productivity later on.
Concentrate on the task at hand. Electronic devices can be very distracting, particularly when you need them to work. First of all, you might need to put your phone away as those Instagram notification can be very distracting. Try not to open any unnecessary browser windows and don't open Facebook under any circumstances. That's like falling into the rabbit hole. You might want to check one notification and then it drags you into everyone's news stories and memes that appear on your newsfeed.
If you can't focus when it's quiet, you might want to listen to classical music or something that is not too distracting. Immerse yourself in one task at a time and don't let anything else distract you.
If you want to be productive, you might want to wake up early and start working in the morning. We all know it's hard to wake up early when you don't really have to, it's much less stressful than procrastinating. Plus, you can always look forward to the end of the day when you can finally relax and reward yourself.
Don't let small obstacles hinder your progress. When you take on a big project, you might find some small details take up too much of your time. This unimportant details might stop your progress and get you stuck. When this happens, you need to focus on getting the bulk done and then revisiting these details you weren't happy about before.
Turn important tasks into a habit. If you do something hard every day, at some point it will come out naturally. It's like going to the gym. The first day might seem hard but once you create a habit, it comes naturally. If your job requires you to undertake a key task often, you might want to do it every day, so you don't dread the day you have to do it. Remember that "practice makes the master."
Although taking a break while working can help you be more productive, it can also trap you in. If you need some leisure time or a breather while working, you have to time yourself so you don't find yourself spending too much time on Twitter or watching TV.
If you are working on your own, you should schedule your day and set a time for each task. That will make you more productive as you know you have a deadline to meet.