Lack of Time? Here are 6 Ways to Work Less but Get More Done

Everyone has the same 24 hours in a day and yet some people simply get more done than others. Is it just a case or some people work harder than others? Working ten hour days will make you more accomplished than a colleague that only works seven. I disagree!

We’ve all heard the saying, “work smarter, not harder,” but many successful business leaders have come to realize that productivity is part effort and part efficiency. Working smart is just as important as working hard, but sometimes working smart beats working hard. In some cases working more can actually damage the amount you get accomplished.

Sometimes employees work harder because they don’t know to work smarter.Working smarter requires thinking creatively to find more effective ways of doing things.

We are sharing six successful ways to get more done every day while working less :

1.Focus more. Stop multitasking.

The key to getting more done is doing less. Many people believe that multitasking is the most efficient way to do things.Think of the last time you had several projects on your plate. How long did it take you to complete all of them?

Now consider the time you poured all of your attention into one project. How much better did that go?

A recent study at Stanford found that not only is multitasking less productive than doing any given task individually, people who claim to be good at multitasking are actually the worst at it.

“When you think about focusing, you think ‘Well, focusing is about saying yes.’ No. Focusing is about saying no,”Steven Jobs said.

Say no to more things than you say yes to. Choose your projects carefully and purposefully. A general rule of thumb is to focus on one thing at a time. Have one goal, or one big thing, that needs to get done everyday, and focus on that.

2. Know what time of day you work best.

Are you an early bird or a night owl? According to science, the answer matters. And part of it has to do with your body temperature.

As it turns out, people tend to work best when their body temperature is high. And different people have different peak times for temperature throughout the day.

How can this help you? Don’t squander your high-productivity periods with meetings or relaxation, save them for nose-to-the-grindstone work.

3.Energy Management.

Energy management, as opposed to time management, forces you to think of results as a function of energy, not time invested. Working yourself into low energy can actually make you accomplish less than if you rested. Here are some ideas:

• Work in bursts. Divide yourself between complete rest and complete focus. Don’t constantly switch in-between which leaves you neither rested or productive.
• Kill projects. Don’t spread tasks that only take a few hours over several days. Sit down and finish them in one sitting
• Rest, health and fun matter.Master the ability to recharge yourself when you need it.

4.Automate.

How much of your daily work life or daily routine can you automate?

Maybe there are emails you regularly receive that can receive an automated response. Maybe there are tools, such as Meet Edgar that can help you automate your social media marketing.

Use technology and the amount of tools available on the Internet to help you automate aspects of your life and business. There’s always potential for you to automate some aspects of your business.

5.Outsource if possible.

One of The biggest struggle is learning what daily tasks can be outsourced and finding  out how to outsource them.

Virtual assistants (VA) can be a valuable asset to your business and a great way to buy back time. How much money are those tedious and repetitive tasks costing you?

If you’ve considered outsourcing some of your work, but don’t believe there’s anyone competent enough to do your work other than you, you should consider at least testing a VA before settling on that conclusion. It’s not hard to find a great VA if you are able to over-communicate what you need, and define clear outcomes.

6.Have fun, both in and out of work.

“Fun.” Sometimes we get so buried in work, we forget that beautiful three-letter word. But we could all use a little more fun.

Studies have shown that having fun (both inside and outside of the office) not only leads to greater productivity and motivation, but better creativity as well.

It goes deeper. People believe more in people who like to have a good time. According to a recent survey, 84 percent of people believe workers with a sense of humor actually do better in the workplace.