Smart Hard Work: Eight Tips to Working Smartly
You can’t survive professionally if you don’t work hard. That is a given. There is no real substitute for hard work, no matter if you deal with customer service by calling a Spectrum phone number or high-powered business managers. Hard work is a strong foundation to build your success story on. But if you are a constant hard worker like me, you will know that just working hard is not enough. You can’t follow a repetitive regime because, in the business world, every day brings new challenges. This means you not only have to work hard, but work smart as well. This blog can show you how.
8 Ways to Work Smart
Hard work can be rewarding, but it can also be draining. At some point, you realize there are better ways of doing things than how you do them. You experiment, learn, and apply your new methods to your work life. This is just a part of working smarter. Over the course of my professional life, I’ve always sought to look for the best ways to do things. Ways to help accomplish the most work in a limited work day or week. To help people who are on a similar path, I have compiled a list of my favorite smart working habits below:
- Look for better ways to do tasks
- Don’t exhaust yourself
- Choose your obstacles
- Learn to wait
- Don’t be afraid to outsource
- Learn to delegate responsibility
- Automate where possible
- Learn from others you admire
Let’s take a closer look at each tip below.
Look for Better Ways to Do Tasks
The first step towards smart work is to look for better ways to do tasks. This isn’t just a one-off thing either. You need to be constantly looking for smarter, faster, and better ways to get the job done. One of the worst things you can do is to limit yourself to a restrictive set of rules. Break out of the box and look for ways that can help you accomplish more during the limited workday you have. Constantly review your methods and update them periodically.
Don’t Exhaust Yourself
Hard work can sap you of your mental and physical strength if you aren’t careful. If you’re feeling tired, it is always better to take a break and rest. Trying to keep working hard while tired isn’t good for anyone. It can affect your performance, and also lead you into a slump of tiredness and apathy at work. In some cases, it can even lead to burnout! Be kind to yourself and stay well-rested.
Choose Your Obstacles
You often come across obstacles or roadblocks during the course of your professional life. This is nothing to be surprised about. But what most people don’t understand is you don’t need to meet every obstacle head-on. You need to pick your battles for when your energies have the most use. Only ram roadblocks when you know your time and effort will not go to waste. Practice weighing the pros and cons of engaging each obstacle and choose to meet the most suitable ones. Work your way around the others.
Learn to Wait
Patience is a virtue, especially in the business world. When you encounter a problem or issue, it is always best to take a pause and wait. Many problems and issues resolve themselves if given enough time. Save your energies for the tasks that need them. Don’t let small hiccups bog you down. Sometimes, a little wait can sort out all your problems.
Don’t Be Afraid to Outsource
If you’re not an expert at something, learn to outsource it to someone who is. You don’t have the luxury to waste time and effort trying to understand something that isn’t in your area of expertise. Most people have problems entrusting specific business functions to experts. But this can actually help you save time and costs, leaving you free to handle more pressing matters.
Learn to Delegate Responsibility
This has the same reasoning as outsourcing. It helps you reserve your time and energy for important tasks that need your attention. You can leave the more mundane and routine tasks to your subordinates. Just because you are a leader does not mean you have to do everything yourself. Learn to let others handle routine tasks that don’t particularly need you.
Automate Where Possible
Automation helps you save time and let computers take care of boring, repetitive tasks that are necessary but not important. This will leave you free to focus on more pressing and sensitive tasks. Even simple things like email automation and email filters can help improve your productivity.
Learn from Others You Admire
All the knowledge you need is right around you. Competent people, top books, resources, and more are never too far away. Learn to use these tools to broaden your horizons. Pick up interesting habits you notice with successful people you admire. I was an assistant to the Chief Technical Officer at a large tech firm. She would be just as polite and friendly while inquiring about Spectrum internet as when conducting an appraisal. I was blown away by how humble and kind she was. That stuck with me and helped me become a popular and likable professional. Always work smart!
