5 Strategies for Getting More Done at Home and Work
You plan for the day, set a goal or a list, and when your day finally comes to an end, you find yourself with an even longer list of things to do. Does it happen to you where you try your best to complete everything you plan to achieve in a day but fail to do so?
If you find your workday spiraling out of control, you need to figure out how to get more done in less time. You only have 24 hours in a day, and whatever you plan to do, you should learn how to get more done within those 24 hours.
This post incorporates 5 strategies for getting more work done in less time. Keep reading to find out the best strategies to manage your time and productivity.
Focus on Actual Expectations
When you think of how to get more done in one day, first start by focusing on the assignments or work you have at hand. This strategy works for both who are working from home and office. However, just like no two humans are the same, no two projects are the same.
Not that you should take every project lightly, but you need to figure out what is expected out of you when you are assigned a task. Probably, the assignment doesn’t require in-depth research, or probably it does.
Maybe you simply need to prepare a PPT plan, or perhaps just the initial work will do. The clearer you are about your work, the better you will be able to save hours. Not every project will ask you to sit for hours doing in-depth analysis.
Stop Multitasking
The moment you try to focus on how to get more done at work or how to get more done at home, you may immediately think of multitasking.
After all, multitasking is a word that exists in the dictionary, and since it does, you should try to multitask as well!
Well, the answer is no. You may feel tempted to complete multiple things simultaneously, but when you do that, you are probably not getting any of the tasks done correctly. And that’s the biggest downside of multitasking.
If you have multiple small assignments or work at hand, give individual time to each task and finish them one by one, not altogether. Humans have limited cognitive bandwidth.
You may think that by doing multitasking, you are increasing your brain’s capacity. However, what you fail to understand is that you are making your brain work harder by multitasking.
Multitasking makes you juggle from one work to another where the possibility of making mistakes is higher.
Allow your brain to follow a logical path, let it put its 100% focus on one work, and that’s how you will get more done each day.
Take Breaks
If you need to slow down, then slow down for a while. After completing one work and before moving to another, make a habit of taking a break. Whether it’s a two-minute break or five, ensure to give your body a few minutes of rest.
Your body and mind can’t perform well when you are feeling burned out. So, follow this rule “slow down and get more done.” Those who know how to get more work done in a day will tell you the importance of taking a break.
Just like you feel freshened up after waking up in the morning and feel more focused to do work, by allowing your body and mind to take some breaks, you let it feel rejuvenated.
You can just leave the working desk for five minutes, grab a glass of water or rest for 15 minutes. Only you will know what works for you, so don’t forget to take breaks before switching to new work and doing a long project.
Re-Use Previous Materials
Whenever you can, try to re-use previous materials. This will help you get more done by doing less. Of course, you can’t re-use previous materials for every work, but whenever you can and whenever it is ethical or safe, use it.
It could be a template you have already prepared for emails, proposals, training, or presentations. Use the template if you are communicating something similar. This way, you won’t have to work on the same thing repeatedly.
Wherever you can, try to copy, edit, and paste. This strategy allows you to save your time and effort and manage your time efficiently. Rather than completely overhauling and updating the entire material, hold on and check if previous materials can help you. If they can leverage on them.
If you see top speakers, you will see them giving the same speech almost everywhere they are invited to. That’s because they know how to achieve more in less time.
Decide on Time Framework
Every work that you need to do should be done in a given time. Your task is to decide how much time you need to spend on one specific task in advance. When you decide on the task, the next thing to do is stick to your plans and goals.
Deciding on a time frame for particular tasks helps you to build your goals for those tasks. And sticking to your goals and working towards them will let you accomplish your goals. Not that every work will be completed within the time frame that you have decided.
But it will undoubtedly help you to get close to it. Doers get more done in a limited time, learn from them, and discover why you get more done when you work less.
Summing Up
These are your strategies for how to get more done every day. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you are working from; what matters is getting as much work as you can within a limited time.
A day has 24 hours, and it will remain 24 hours, focus on those 24 hours and accordingly plan. Adopting a method such as the 43 Folders (and the Fortythree.me App) method will help you get more done in less time.