Hard work can be useless if you are not working hard in the right direction. You see, misguided hard work can actually hinder you in accomplishing your goals.
In this post, I want to show you how to work smarter, instead of working harder.
These ideas are a compilation from numerous productivity and success books that I have studied in the past few months.
1 – Learn How To Group Similar Activities
This is a great concept that can save you TONS of time. The basic idea is that you take tasks that are similar and group them together. For example, does your work involve answering a lot of email? Consider setting certain times throughout the day when you will answer email. Maybe 9am 11am 1pm and 4pm. Then, stick to that schedule.
Checking your inbox every 10 minutes can actually add up to a lot of extra time and work unneeded. By sticking to certain times, you are grouping all the work together and working SMART, instead of working HARD.
An easy way to start grouping activities is to create a TODO list. Then, look at your TODO list and see if there are any similar actions. If there are, make sure to complete these actions at the same time. This will mean you will stay in the correct mindset to work your best at the tasks.
2 – Keep Organized Folders
If you work online, you are familiar with the value of organization. However, I still see so many people that simply are not organized.
If you have a cluttered desktop and unorganized folders, the time to stop is now. Take an hour or so and carefully create folders for all of your important files. This will save you large amounts of time in looking for the documents later down the road.
Never underestimate the value of an organized computer.
3 – Outsource When Needed
If you are completing a task that could be done just as easily by someone else for a lower price, then don’t do the task! Hire someone else to do the task for you.
For example, maybe you have to do some web research for an upcoming project. Maybe your hourly rate is $20.00 per hour. If you can hire someone to complete the same task for $10.00 per hour or less, then it makes absolutely no sense to do the task yourself. This is a prime example of working harder rather than working smarter.
4 – Ask For Help
If you don’t completely understand how to do something, ask someone for help! Instead of trying to do all of the research needed to excel at the task you are completing, why not consult a colleague or friend who has expertise in the subject?
This is a great way to quickly pick up on something that might have otherwise taking you hours and hours to learn. If help is near, take it!
Summing Up
Sometimes hard work is not all that is needed for success. Sure, hard work is crucial, but if you are not working hard in the right directions you could be just wasting your resources.
Always try to figure out ways to work smarter before trying to figure out ways to work harder. In the long term, it will lead to much more impressive results.
This was a guest blog by Jason at Survey Examiner, a website focused on providing honest and truthful reviews for paid survey panels. Check it out to see what survey panels got rated best and worst, and how you can truly get paid to take surveys.