Work Smarter, Not Harder: A Simple Guide to Boosting Productivity

We’ve all heard the phrase, “work smarter, not harder,” but what does it really mean? At its core, it’s about working more efficiently with your time and energy so you can get more done, without burning out. In a nutshell: Working smarter is about getting results with less wasted effort. It’s not about doing more; it’s about doing what matters better. This month, Money Mailer focuses on some strategies for working smarter not harder, beginning with:

Starting your day out right

Developing a morning routine helps get your day off to a good start.

• Some business owners find working out first thing in the morning or going for a brisk walk before sitting down to work helps energize their minds and helps them focus on their plan for the day.
• Others get inspiration from reading an article or a book on professional development to get their day started.
• Still other business owners start their mornings with meditation to release stress and anxiety, which helps to improve their mood, as well as improve their ability to concentrate.

Keeping your to-do list manageable

Prioritize your to-do list to concentrate on time-sensitive tasks first, then focus on three to four important and challenging tasks each day in order to maximize feelings of productivity when you check off these tasks at the end of your day! Focusing on each task, one at a time, will help maintain the integrity of your work and avoid multitasking that may compromise the quality of your work, leaving you in the middle of the tasks you set out to complete that day at the end of your day. Also, a good rule of thumb to follow is to break up your to-do list with 15 to 20 minute breaks during the day.

Matching tasks with your energy levels

Use your natural energy levels to work more effectively. Scheduling your more challenging task at the beginning of the day might work better for small business owners whose energy tends to flag later in the day. Working in short blocks of time can restore energy levels during your work day.

Working in time blocks

Dividing your day into 90-minute or two-hour blocks of time can help you maintain your creative energy and your brain’s ability to focus in order to improve productivity. Taking short breaks allows your brain to recharge. Getting a new perspective can take the form of:

• Taking a brisk walk
• Window shopping
• Enjoying a cup of coffee or tea grab bite to eat
• Exercising or doing a 15-minute yoga workout

Physical activity has also been shown to improve your overall state-of-mind during your day. Yoga, Tai Chi, HIIT and other exercise programs help reduce stress, improve sleep and offer other wellness benefits that are key to improving productivity. These activities can be designed to fit into your break time framework. Adhering to your break schedule each day helps you stay focused on your work during your work periods.

Mapping out your day

For some small business owners, mapping out the time on a calendar that specifies when you will focus on work helps organize your time, so you will be able to complete tasks in a set time slot, avoiding unexpected distractions. Closing your email and turning off the ringer on your phone can help you stay focused and productive during your allotted work times. Additionally, to promote productivity, you can up the ante by setting incrementally shorter deadlines for some tasks to increase efficiency, leaving you more time in your day to focus on other tasks.

Grouping like tasks

Some business owners can speed up their productivity by grouping tasks that are part of a process, completing one task before you can take on the next task. For example, shop owners that want to get new products out on shelves may need to catalogue new products, assign PLUs, tag items, and merchandise new products to grab the attention of shoppers. Focusing on these tasks, in succession, keeps you in the right mindset to stay focused on one phase of a project before moving on to uploading new products to your website, and sending out emails and/or targeted direct mail to your customers to offer them special promotional pricing for your new product lines.

Improving communication skills

For most business owners, checking your emails and SMS messages several times a day is unavoidable. Getting bogged down in this process can reduce your productivity plans for the day, as well. To get back on track, get into the habit of responding to emails and messages in a timely, straightforward way. When communicating with staff, vendors, your marketing team, and others, learn to actively listen and stay on topic in order to better understand and retain ideas that foster collaboration and increase productivity.

Making meetings matter

Meetings are a necessary part of most businesses. To make the most of important meetings, develop a plan to ensure they are effective and productive by constructing an outline for your meeting that includes:

• Reason for the meeting
• Desired outcome
• Actionable items

Keeping meetings brief, productive, and focused on outcomes will ensure participants understand what they need to do moving forward.

Streamlining tasks with productivity tools

To help get through checking messages and onto priority projects, increase productivity of repetitive tasks with programs or applications that offer automation features to help expedite repetitive tasks. Tracking your work productivity with these tools helps you complete tasks more efficiently and saves time by tracking your productivity, so you don’t need to schedule time for that task.

Measuring your accomplishments, instead of your time

In addition to tracking your work productivity with data analysis tools, create an ongoing list of your completed tasks each day. Viewing your accomplishments will help boost your motivation. Celebrate your productivity, seeing where your efforts increased productivity and helping to determine how much time and effort similar tasks will require in the future.

Developing a closing routine

Just as developing an effective starting routine helps set the tone for your day, an equally effective closing routine can help situate you for a productive start tomorrow. Close out your work day by listing the top tasks you want to tackle the next day. This might mean mentally arranging these tasks timewise or actually making a list or mapping out time slots on your calendar. Check off tasks on your “Completed Tasks” list and call it a day! Additionally, residual benefits of learning to work smarter include:

• Optimizing your energy output: Tackling tasks in short bursts allows you to take on and accomplish challenging tasks with more energy with better results.
• Spurring motivation: Working smarter generates a positive outlook about yourself, your company, and your community.
• Boosting self-esteem: Creating exemplary outcomes with less effort provides a boost to your self-esteem.

Money Mailer works with local businesses to make your marketing efforts more productive and effective, with an integrated product suite, combining print and digital components to maximize your business exposure and accelerate growth. Money Mailer helps you grow your business with effective and affordable local advertising solutions in print, online, and on the go.