How To Work Less And Get More Done

 




We all think that in order to get more done, we need to invest more time. But the truth is everyone has 24 hours and some work more effectively in the same amount of time. That is because they work smart instead of working hard. Your productivity drops when you are working more than 50 hours per week. So working more can damage not only your health, but your work as well. Successful people know than you need to find that perfect balance with your time, work and rest in order to be more productive.

Although, it's not so easy to work less and accomplish more. You need to think outside the box and accept that the way you work now might not be the right way. Then you can use these tips on how to increase your productivity and find a perfect balance:

No. 1

One Thing At A Time

Do you still think multitasking is more efficient? Our brain can handle one thing at a time. When you have 5 different goals - you need to switch from one to another and it's easier to make a mistake. Not saying that when doing everything at once you're not putting enough effort in each of your tasks. And also, when we live in such rhythm of multitasking for a long time, our brain gets used to have a short attention span, and it's pretty hard to make it focus on one thing for a long period again. Create yourself a MIT(Most Important Task) list. It should be 1-3 tasks per day that are extremely important. When doing them focus on one at a time until it's done and then move on to the next. Stop yourself every time you feel the urge to check your inbox and get back to work.



No.2
Never Work On Your Weekends

Spend your days off to recharge and relax. If it is possible - unplug and disconnect. When you're receiving working emails and phone calls 24/7 you never really leaving your work. If you don't want to feel like jumping from Friday straight to Monday you need to try leaving your work at work. Spend your weekend on your hobby, exercise or spend some quality time with your family. On Monday morning you will feel recharged and ready for work for 150%.

No. 3
Set A Timer

If you're having trouble with doing something way longer than you should - try to set a timer for 30-60-90 minutes. For example, if you're spending two hours every day just managing your inbox - set a timer for 30 minutes and do nothing but work with your mail the whole time. Next day set it for 60 minutes. The day after set it for 90 minutes. When timer buzzes you can't do that task even a minute more. Than ask yourself is it really necessary to spend 2 hours checking your inbox? Those deadlines are truly effective. During that time all you have to do is to get your job done. No distractions. Remember, work will fill the time available for its completion.

No. 4
Take Short Breaks

If you have a big project - divide it to the smaller pieces. Take breaks between these pieces to stay productive. Stretch out, take a walk, meditate for a 5 minutes. That will be enough to recharge. Working for short period with small breaks is more effective than working 6 hours straight. You still will distract, but you can either plan your distraction allowing yourself to spend 5 minutes looking through the social media (set a timer) or find yourself watching videos with cats on YouTube for two hours straight.

No. 5
Learn How To Say "No"

Until you complete your current task do not take anything else. Think about every task you take as a thing that can or cannot bring you closer to your major goal, to your new level of success. If that thing cannot do that - say no.


It's not easy to discipline yourself at first, but if you follow our tips you'll see results soon. The thing is working less doesn't mean you should lower your standards. It means that everyone should think about quality over quantity. For your boss it doesn't matter how much time you spend doing some project, it's matters how good you'll do it after all.