7 Ways to work smarter

SHARED FROM:

StarBiz : Monday 15 July 2013

Talking HR by Pauline Ng

Work Smart VS Work Hard

            In the earlier days, the generally accepted practice was to stay in the office later than your boss.  Now, many organizations are taking the work-life-balance approach.  Things are different now, taking too long to reply an email is frowned upon.  Being busy is not necessary fashionable anymore.  Being able to come in well after 10 am and able to leave before 6 pm is now seen as an enviable position to be in.

            Those arguments saying success comes with sweat, determination and hard work has long gone.  Bill Gates hiring policy is to “choose a lazy person to do a difficult job, because he will find an easy way to do it”.  In other words he prefers individual who work smart.

            The most obvious tell-tale sign of working hard and not smart is if you are the first person to arrive in the office and the last to leave, yet you are still not getting your work done on time.  Another example is if you are putting in more hours than the rest of your peers but not being recognized for your efforts.

 

7 Ways to work smarter

1.        Begin with the end in mind

            -           it is wise to know the end-game or final destination of your journey.

            -           understand the ‘why’ so that you are able to see the bigger picture

2.        Have a plan in hand

            -           cannot deny the importance of planning

            -           failure often stems from a lack of preparation and planning

            -           have a structure in place that supports your plan

3.        Outsource

            -           all of us excel in something but we can’t be a “jack-of-all-trades”

4.        Go for the High-Impact Items

5.        Stop being a perfectionist

            -           many try to do everything ourselves

            -           however, it take-up a lot of valuable time

            -           delegate so that you can focus on what really matter

6.        Pick your battles

            -           pick your battles and not try to fight every single one of them

7.        Be open and get help from others

            -           remember to choose your confident wisely

Working smarter doesn’t necessarily mean there is a need to change everything.  Working smarter is such an instance may not be enough.  Achieving a balance of working hard and working smart is the ideal combination.