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Writer's pictureMarina Lotaif

How To Work Smarter, Not Harder


Careful planning to avoid burnout is necessary. Here is your plan of attack to get all of your work done, go to happy hour and still sleep 10 hours / night

We all know that you’re a superstar. You love taking on multiple tasks at once, and accomplish goals that are far-flung. Thing is, how do you go about doing that without feeling like you are drowning, and gasping for air every few days?

It all has to do with mindset, and setting yourself up for success by working smarter, not harder. Productivity masters know that careful planning to avoid burnout and exhaustion is necessary, especially when your to do list gets bigger and bigger.

Here is your plan of attack to get all of your work done, go to happy hour, and still be able to sleep 10 hours / night.

Get instant access to the FREE CHEAT SHEET with 5 ways to supercharge your productivity now:

Manage your time effectively

Last week we had an awesome webinar talking in detail about the main secrets to manage your time effectively. The gist of it? Embrace prioritization and forget about multitasking.

Contrary to common belief, giving your entire focus to one task at a time is the key to speed you up and avoid that dreaded 3pm slump. Set realistic deadlines, batch similar tasks together, forget your phone, and answer your e-mails during pre-set time periods.

Take shortcuts

Do you send e-mails that follow the same structure? Create a template in Gmail and then fill in the blanks.

Are you a slow typer? Record your thoughts on your phone by saying things out loud, and then transcribe them to a computer later so that nothing gets left out or forgotten.

Wasting your time posting things on social media? Use Buffer or Hootsuite to schedule them in advance and have them posted automatically.

In other words, go over all the repeatable tasks that you do, and see whether you can add a shortcut to it. You will be thankful in the long run and save yourself a ton of time.

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Sprinkle in short breaks

Ever heard of the pomodoro technique? It’s a combination of a burst of directed, focused work, usually 25 minutes, with short breaks.

By short I mean 5-10 minutes. During that time period, focus on something other than your computer, go on a walk, or even stretch or take a longer bathroom break.

You will come back to your desk invigorated, energized and with your creative juices flowing. Most importantly, you will be ready to tackle the next task at hand.

Learn how to say no

Your own to do list is already overflowing. Only take on additional tasks that will help you move towards your overarching, final goal.

This isn’t to say that you should always say no to your boss or coworkers, but before agreeing on doing something new, have a moment to yourself to reflect.

Are you particularly stressed out or full of work? Are you working towards leaving your 9 to 5? Do you have an extra hour, day or week to dedicate to that project?

If you don’t think you can manage it, or will end up exhausted if you do, don’t do it. Now, if you absolutely have to complete this new task, create a separate to do list, and only tackle it when you have crossed particular items, or even all of the existing ones, on your main to do list.

Get instant access to the FREE CHEAT SHEET with 5 ways to supercharge your productivity now:

Don’t let overwhelm get in the way

This can also be described as the domino effect, where one negative thing seems to lead to multiple others. In the end, you get overwhelmed, you stop believing in yourself, and you switch your mindset to work harder, not smarter. I.e. not ideal.

Instead, create separate ‘boxes’ for each thing you have to do, and don’t allow one bad event lead or cause another one. Avoid paranoia, and use that failure to fuel your desire to do better next time and to continue working on your goals.

If you are struggling to make time to accomplish your goals, if weeks go by, without you having made any substantial progress in your to do list, with time seeming to disappear into thin air, and if you have burned out before, and are desperately trying to schedule in rest, because you are suffering from insomnia, stress and anxiety, make sure to Download this FREE productivity cheat sheet now!

Get instant access to the FREE CHEAT SHEET with 5 ways to supercharge your productivity now:

This is my step-by-step guide to help you get your priorities straight, cut out useless tasks, and actually conquer what you set out to achieve.

Get instant access to the FREE CHEAT SHEET with 5 ways to supercharge your productivity now:

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