You’ve perhaps heard it at least once in your life from an overly enthusiastic and well-intentioned motivational speaker: Work Smarter, Not Harder!
“Sure- that’s all okay and fine”, you say to yourself, “but how do I go about doing it?”
Changing the way you approach your assignments can feel like you’re trying to master a new language- excruciating, to say the least. When faced with twelve dozen tasks at a time, most students decide to work for long and push themselves to the point of exhaustion to get things done. But, this isn’t the best way to go about it. Rather, it’s time to look at working smarter, not harder, and learn more remarkable ways to work.
In today’s comprehensive post, I’ve compiled a shortlist of easy-to-implement strategies to help you get the most out of your day by working smarter and not harder. They will also help you maximize your efficiency and accomplish the best outcomes.
Faster your seatbelts, and listen up!
Why Is It Crucial To Work Smarter, Not Harder?
“Focus on being productive instead of busy”- Tim Ferris
There are numerous reasons why it’s vital to work smarter and not harder. Working smarter can always enable you to-
- Save Energy– Working in short bursts always helps you achieve challenging tasks with greater energy and generate better results.
- Increases Productivity- It encourages you to streamline processes and work effectively to be more productive.
- Improves Self-Esteem- Working smarter also helps you write an impeccable paper with much less effort, naturally boosting your self-esteem.
Strategies To Work Smart, Not Hard
Know Thyself
As I sat down to write this post for the first time, I pulled out the laptop around 10 am and stared at the cursor for a long time without typing a single word. Finally, I called it quits, and when I opened things up about 12 hours later, it felt like my brain was on fire with various ideas and hacks.
Whether you’re a night owl like me or a morning bird, it is always wise to work on your most challenging assignments when your brain is at its peak. That may imply your schedule is deviating from what’s considered ‘traditional’. However, if it works the best for you, that’s all that matters
Stop Multitasking
Multitasking is a huge myth. In the words of top research paper help stalwarts, it’s simply impossible for us to focus on multiple tasks that need real brainpower. And when you try to do it, you risk sacrificing your mental health.
It can feel like you’re managing all of these moving pieces successfully, but switching between multiple tasks makes it challenging to get tasks fully completed. So, stop letting your assignments suffer today. Rather, single-task your way through the day.
Learn To Walk Away
Walking away from a complicated task may seem counterintuitive, but breaks can make you more productive. Remove yourself from the work environment instantly to reduce stress and offer your brain a chance to ‘catch up’. If you’re working on a difficult academic paper, your subconscious mind will continue working on it even if your conscious mind is trying to relax.
This is how solutions magically pop up in your brain when you aren’t thinking about the difficulty. Either way, you’ll come back to it refreshed and in a more focused mental state for work.
Establish Deadlines
I have learned one major lesson from my academic and professional career- it is impossible to work productively if you have too much going on each day. Whenever I set stricter deadlines and have long to-do lists, it compels me to work harder and longer, thereby draining my energy.
If you desire to work smarter, try to be realistic about the deadline required for each task. To become more productive, give yourself extra time to complete the work in.
Work In Chunks
Instead of completing the entire chemistry coursework in a go, sit down to solve five equations for an hour. A close look at chemistry coursework help forums will help you realize that compelling yourself to complete the entirety of an assignment or complex task will only stress you out and make you less productive. Rather, allow yourself to work in shorter bursts to keep your mind fresh and minimize anxiety. That way, you can work to the very best of your abilities.
Surround Yourself With Like-Minded People
It matters who you choose to hang around with when it comes to taking your classes seriously. This strategy isn’t about choosing your friends. Try to identify your classmates who share your commitment to success. Buddy up with them to share notes, study together or complete group assignments. In the end, you can teach and learn from each other, and even make some new friends.
Cut Down On Your To-Do List
A smaller to-do list is always less intimidating and more achievable. There’s nothing wrong with having a short-to-do list if you’re getting the real work done. Begin with your Most Important Tasks (MITs)) and limit the list to three items, a productivity tactic hugely popularized by the popular blogger Leo Babauta.
Leo writes, “The idea is that no matter what else I do today, these three things I want to be sure of doing. So, the MIT is the first thing I do each day, right after I have a glass of water to wake me up.” Simply focus on getting three tasks done, and let anything else be a bonus.
Planning In Advance Is The Key
Daily and weekly planning always make it easier to work smarter and not harder. Establishing an effective routine always helped me do wonders. It helped me determine my biggest priorities for even the following day and gave me some ‘me’ time.
So, instead of wasting hours without a clear list of priorities, set your day up the night before to increase focus and direction. What’s more, by having a clear direction and focus every morning, you can work smarter and not harder. It also boosts self-esteem and confidence.
Focus Your Time On Results
Not going to lie- I was just like you, who focused on the time and effort taken to complete an article rather than the result itself. However, I realized concentrating on accomplishing a specific result enables you to work smarter and increase productivity. It also enables you to leverage time as you have become completely focused on the result. Further, this mindset enables you to cut through inefficiency and improve confidence and motivation.
Parting Thoughts
It may always seem tempting to hustle or burn the midnight oil when it comes to your assignments. However, there are far better ways of getting things done.
As you start working smarter, not harder, you’ll experience a significant boost in your daily productivity. Implement these 9 strategies to help you in your personal life and academic career. The moment you adopt certain smarter ways of working is when you decide to become more productive.
What’s your number one strategy to work smarter and not harder? Let me know by leaving a comment below.
Author Bio
William Smith is a time management coach and accountability coach based in the USA. He is also a proud member of AllEssayWriter.com for 10+ years now, where he is popular for catering to millions of requests like ‘write my assignments’.
