Since Allen Morgenstern created the adage "work smarter, not harder" in the 1930s to make his employees' jobs easier, it has been in use. It entails understanding how to use one's cognitive abilities to cut down on tasks so that things can move more quickly and effectively towards the desired outcome. It also means that as a person, you are able to put your own needs first and play to your advantages and disadvantages.
The industrial age has changed today with the introduction of robust machinery and software designed to simplify our lives. Work that is much more mentally demanding and less physically taxing has largely replaced physical labour. No matter what you are doing, you still need to work harder and consistently put in the effort, according to many mentors and gurus. These are admirable sentiments, but only a very small portion of us actually understand what it takes to succeed.
The big issue right now is how to work smarter, not harder. You've come to the right place if you're already using techniques but still feel overburdened by your to-do list. Continue reading to learn some advice on how to apply this motto to your daily life. Here are some of the most useful, practical tools for personal development that will be beneficial to master, to give you a head start.
Your most valuable and first resource is time. There are some useful strategies you can use in addition to the customary advice on how to set realistic deadlines or stay focused. Some studies indicate that a 90-minute period is the one that will most likely foster excellent work performance. Anything outside of this band will only reduce your output.
Divide your day into two separate 4-hour blocks, one in the morning and one in the afternoon, with a long lunch break, to accomplish this. If you prefer shorter breaks, think about using the widely used Pomodoro technique. The Pomodoro technique claims that working in increments of 25 minutes, followed by a 5-minute break, will boost productivity while encouraging creative freedom.
Today's worker only needs to use a tool that can do a lot of the work for him, unlike Morgenstern who had to come up with novel ways to get around the limiting work processes of his time. Every issue can actually be solved by a number of different methods: social media schedulers to automate your posts, online code editors, audio mixing programmes, speech to text converters, etc.
You should give assigning tasks to others serious consideration. One way to work smart is to ask for assistance. There are undoubtedly a few teamwork tasks that you could benefit from a second pair of hands on. In fact, you can almost always find someone who is more skilled or knowledgeable than you are at a given task.
Start by giving your less crucial tasks to someone who can complete them on your behalf. List your own tasks next and order them by priority. If the tasks can be finished in a half-hour or less, finish them as soon as you can. Schedule and prioritise them if it takes longer. When you combine all of this with efficient time management, you can work more efficiently.