8 Ways To Work Smarter, Not Harder
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Now back to our regularly scheduled program:
We have all heard about being a busy girl boss who is always on the go... well I won't lie.. I am definitely that girl who puts too much on her plate. People are CONSTANTLY asking me how I manage YouTube, a business, my blog, as well as a part time job. None of this including my extra curricular activities.
Well, truth is while I am an extremely busy bee, I am also not always ripping and running in the way people think. I have learned in 2019 that depression hits me harder when I am not taking ANY time to care for myself. I also end up having more panic attacks and can't sleep well because working is consistently on my mind and it is just not healthy. We all know i am a workaholic, BUT I have learned some ways to start working smarter, not harder.
Now I am able to get a whole lot done in a lot less time and still get to majorly self care and spend time doing absolutely nothing.
Here are 8 things that helped me accomplish this:
How To Work Smarter, Not Harder
Time Management: FOCUSED work time
One very important thing that I realized is that I tend to get a lot more done when I sit down, undistracted with a task and work on it consistently for like 30 minutes. Sometimes it'll be 30 minutes, or more, or less. It just depends on what the task is, but I work on it focusing for a certain amount of time and then I take a break for about 10 minutes before refocusing. I read this somewhere and remember my favorite YouTuber Amy Landino mention it and decided to try it out for myself and it really and truly made a difference.
Prioritize tasks PROPERLY.
One of the biggest reasons we tend to get overwhelmed is we knock out tasks based on what we feel like doing in the moment instead of what needs to be done. (If you suffer from depression, like me, this does not include suffering from depression and not being able to force yourself to do certain tasks. Do what you can and be proud of whatever you do get accomplished when you're down.) However, when you are going through your to-do list, look at what NEEDS to be accomplished soon and what can be accomplished in the time you have allotted for work that day.
Plan realistically
There are 24 hours in a day. You need some of that time for sleeping. Plan what you C AN get done realistically based on your responsibilities that day. The days that I work my part time job, I cannot do AS MUCH in my business, blog, and YouTube Channel, so I plan accordingly. I don't fill my to-do list on those days because I want to make sure I will actually get them done.
Click here for your productivity planner!
Utilize Productivity Resources Properly
Use the things, but you don't have to use ALL of the things. I use google calendar and planners. There was once a time when I tried to use Asana. Now, Asana is WONDERFUL and actually is a great tool for business owners to help them keep up with projects, but it didn't work for me. I ended up wasting time trying to make myself utilize Asana. So use your productivity tools to help you manage your time but use what works and what is needed. You don't have to have everything that exists because that can turn out to be a time waster.
Prep ahead of time
Get your life ready to be productive. Clear your work spaces. Get a night and morning routine in place that allows you to be set up for success. Being prepared will allow you to save time and just jump into your tasks.
Exercise
Being active enhances your energy. If you are exercising regularly, especially in the morning, it will get you energized in order to get more done. Something about starting my day being active makes me feel like a boss ass b**** and then I am ready to continue feeling that way throughout the rest of the day.
Reward system for reaching goals.
This is pretty relative to what works for you and what you'd find worth it. Me, I will reward myself at the end of the week with a nice glass (or bottle) of wine and a movie or sushi... or both. I like these things and since I only do it when I know I've earned it, I am more likely to work hard to achieve my goals and tasks each week. So, think of something that works for you. Nothing too fancy, but simple bliss.
Expect things not to go as planned.
You will write your to-do lists and plans for the week and I promise you... it won't happen that way. There are times the things on Friday are done on Tuesday and then Tuesday's tasks are done on Saturday... life happens. You end up with unexpected responsibilities. Sometimes you oversleep. The to-do list is meant to be a guideline so you know what tasks need to be done, but it isn't going to always happen exactly the way you plan it and sometimes there will be one or two things you couldn't get to and that is okay. Don't sacrifice your mental health and sleep trying to squeeze things in. Just add them to the top of next week's list.
These are the things that can help you start working smarter and getting more done without sacrificing sleep and mental health. How are you going to start working smarter, not harder?