Stop exhausting yourself and start working smarter

OUR parents told us success came from hard work, but were they wrong? Turns out we've been working harder when we could have been working smarter.

Working is like scuba diving.

ARE you sick of all the hard work? Wish problems were a little bit easier to solve?

Well, there's good news. You're not crazy... or lazy. Our parents, teachers and university lecturers told us that gaining success in life was all about hard work. But they were wrong.

Throughout school, university and careers, it seemed only way to 'get ahead in life' meant reading over and over pages of our textbooks to cram, and multi-tasking at our desks until we tipped over backwards with exhaustion.

But, what value is there in running like a hamster on a wheel in an effort to work hard at something, if the end result can be so strenuous? How can we work smarter, not harder?

There's a smarter way to deal with this pile of work.

SO HOW DO WE 'WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER'?

Jason Fried, co-author of the book 'Rework' and founder of web-based productivity company 37 Signals, has an interesting opinion on work.

Work, he says, is like sleep. Work occurs in stages similar to the five phases of the sleep cycle. If you've had a bad night's sleep, it's often because you've woken up several times, or couldn't get to sleep in the first place.

An unproductive day at work is the same. You've likely been interrupted multiple times, or haven't been able to get into the 'work zone' to begin with.

Often, in order to be truly productive or creative, you need to work for extended, uninterrupted periods of time.

But your attention span is only so long. As you work over the course of a day you naturally go through periods of sustained concentration and times of reduced productivity, where you typically start to feel hungry, become distracted and hear external noises more clearly.

Work is also like scuba diving.

The best work is done when you're down in the deep, quiet, 'underwater' world of your imagination and creativity, but like divers, we need to resurface regularly to connect with the real world again.

Working is like scuba diving.

And then there's your working environment.

Fried states that when people are asked where and when they get the most work done, they respond with these locations: on the deck, in the kitchen or loungeroom, in the study, at a cafe or library, on a train, plane or in a car. They also specify that they work best early in the morning, late at night, or on the weekends.

This presents a fairly obvious problem. None of these locations or times are related to the traditional 9am-5pm office scenario.

So if you're working in what could be seen as a less-than-preferred environment, how can you still maximise productivity?

TIPS FOR WORKING SMARTER

1. Work where you work best

If your company allows you to be flexible and work from home or a place where you can concentrate best, then do so. Many managers and workplaces are now embracing flexible working options for staff.

A recent Regus study, surveying 20,000 professionals from 95 countries, found that 75% of executives believe that flexible work improves productivity and fosters creative thinking. The study also showed that 72% of workers reported that productivity is a direct result of flexibility and enables better quality (65%) decision making.

2. Managers - schedule less meetings

Fried says that planning a one hour meeting involving 10 people is actually the same as planning a 10 hour meeting, and is likely to be a waste of company time, money and resources.

When you announce a meeting, you're likely to be interrupting the creative process of many of your employees, says Fried, who is himself a manager.

He asks managers to consider planning fewer meetings to let their staff have more uninterrupted time.

BONUS TIP: If a spontaneous meeting is required, warn your office by ringing a bell to alert them that they have five minutes to finish off their ideas and give you their attention.

3. 'Come up for air' and check your email periodically

Being engaged in a focused creative or practical task is very similar to the sensation of scuba diving. Many people experience a sound blockout while they're working in this state, where noises and distractions grow dim. But like scuba divers, whose oxygen tanks have a time limit, you have natural breaks in this focus - like a diver swimming up to the surface.

While you're in a 'surface' period like this, use the time to connect with the world again. Check your emails, shoot through a few replies, and make that phone call.

You'll probably have many more unread emails to check than this, but you can live in hope!

4. Listen to music while you're working

Office banter can be distracting, so if you need to focus (and if your office allows it), plug in your earphones and listen to music.

Some people prefer classical music because there is usually no singing or lyrics to distract, while others like mindless pop or rock with a strong back-beat. Whatever works for you!

BONUS TIP: Keep the music at a low volume so you can still hear if someone is speaking to you.

5. Switch from active forms of communication to passive forms

Instead of walking across the office and interrupting someone's train of thought just to ask a question, consider emailing or instant messaging them if it's not urgent.

That way they can respond in their own time, most likely during one of their 'surface' periods of reduced productivity.

6. Do the dreaded task first

There is nothing worse than having the thought of an unpleasant task hanging over your head all day.

If you have to sort out the filing cabinet or read over the pile of resumes on your desk, then do it first thing.

You'll have the rest of the day to focus on other tasks, and will most likely find that you're more productive as a result.

7. Break it up

Some people have creative jobs that require huge blocks of time, but other jobs are different.

If your job has the tendency to become monotonous, break up your day into 20 minute chunks, interspersed with a few minutes of physical activity like filling up your water bottle, going to the bathroom, or going for a quick walk to the park.

Lunchtime yoga could be just the brain boost you need.

8. Sometimes today is not your day

There's nothing worse than headbutting a task until you pass out.

If you're not getting anywhere with a project and you have time to spare, leave it until the next day.

Rest, exercise and a full stomach can do wonders to change your outlook. Do it first thing the next day though, and make sure you leave yourself a post-it reminder.

9. Remember the good stuff

Keep a folder of positive feedback and comments received from your colleagues and superiors. Look over it when you're feeling discouraged or unappreciated to give yourself a confidence boost.

10. Sharpen your mind

Keep your mind fit and sharp by reading, watching or listening to something that challenges your ideas and beliefs everyday. Learning new things and practising divergent thinking is like doing push-ups for the brain.

Are there any tips that we've missed? Comment below or join the conversation on Twitter @newscomauHQ | @GraceKoelma

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