Many of today’s professionals know this bitter feeling: they are working long hours and still they are getting less things done. Productivity consultant Julie Morgenstern claims that this feeling is justified. Companies are hiring as few employees as they can. Everyone's role keeps changing as the world changes; nowadays, changes are both rapid and substantial.
How can we solve this problem (let’s assume that sleeping at the office is not a feasible option here)? According to an article by Kathryn Dill from Forbes.com there are ways to handle your growing pile of work.
Just making several conscious decisions about what you do during your time at work can shorten your hours at the office. What’s more – these decisions can also make your hours more productive.
Analyze and reallocate your time
First you need to figure out what you actually do during your working hours. You can be in for a huge surprise by what you find out. Maybe your superior overwhelms you with his demands while you are trying to deal with the ones he has already given you. If you often try to handle many things at once, the results can be disappointing. The key is to optimize your time – a time diary or an application can help you with that.
Cut your list of tasks to priorities only
A number of professionals tends to put everything, no matter how inconsequential the task is, on their to-do list. However, there ought to be no more than four or five vital tasks on the list. Prioritize.
Use an alarm clock
The alarm clock was invented to get you out of bed, but it can be used during the day as well. It is all about being time-conscious and overcoming distractions and personal foibles. When you give yourself 60 minutes to do something, you will not be tempted to check your email, which, by the way, is a very convenient procrastination device.
Live a dynamic life when not at work
It does not matter what your work/life balance preferences are: if you aren’t spending your time off by actively refreshing yourself, you cannot expect that you will make good decisions at the office. You need to renew yourself in your free time – then and only then, can you be an effective worker.
-JK-