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Do you recognize the following situation?
It’s Monday morning and you didn’t feel like going to the office, because you know there is so much work waiting for you. You just don’t know where to start. Your email box is exploding, there are piles of papers waiting to be signed and you have an important meeting in an hour. You don’t have a clear overview and you are not on top of the situation (sorry for the pun).
But what would your Monday look like if you would have a grip on the situation. You will finish all your deadlines and you can go home on time, so you can also go to the gym. How would your life be if you could work smart?
These 7 tips will help you to work smart and go home on time.
Tip 1: Take a step back
When you come to the office in the morning, don’t start checking your email immediately. Chances are you probably will read and answer all your mails. And before you know, you will lose track of time or even miss an important deadline.
Tip 2: Your to do list.
Create an overview by making a list of all your actions. Having an overview is essential. It allows you to have a grip on the situation. From now on: no more surprises. And now I can almost hear you say: Heleen, this is old news. But wait, you can add a time frame to this list.
Tip 3: Time
After you have made a list of all your actions, you can make an indication of how much time each action will take.
Tip 4: Prioritize
Now that you have a clear view of all your to do’s you can determine what needs to be done first and which action can wait. With this to do list you will work much more effectively.
Tip 5: The three things of the day
Determine at least 3 things that need to be done today. That can be anything that is important to you. For instance: (1) I absolutely must finish this report today, (2) I must set up a meeting with so and so and (3) I should sign this particular contract today.
These 3 things give you focus. You don’t have to worry about all the other tasks, your focus for now is on these 3 things. You can start working and stop stressing.
Tip 6: Planning
If you have to prepare yourself for an important meeting, reserve some time in advance. If a quotation has to be sent today, block your agenda so you can work at it. But most importantly: get to work! Don’t go directing your attention to small actions you want to do first. This behaviour only makes you feel good in the moment. Before you know it, it is 17.00 o’clock and you haven’t even started with the quotation.
Tip 7: End your day consciously
At the end of the day; don’t run off to the next network event or the gym. Check about 15 minutes before you leave your to do list. Have you done all the actions with the highest priority? Have you done the 3 things of the day?
By consciously ending your day you can check if you really sent that email or filed that contract in the correct folder. If you consciously close your day, you will not sit at home and get stressed because you can’t remember whether you have done something or not.
You will see that these 7 tips are really going to make a difference in your day. Do you want to know more about this subject? Check out my Masterclass Work Smarter http://ontopmanagers.nl/en/aanbod-training-coaching-managers/masterclass-slimmer-werken-op-tijd-naar-huis/
References
Rowiq: I can recommend The Masterclass "Work Smart" to everyone. You will get a clear insight in what you really do in a day.
New Contacts:The Masterclass with Heleen has given me a good picture on how I do my work. I also got useful tips & tricks like the time management matrix of Covey.
WR Schoonmaak Specialisten: I thought the Masterclass Work Smart was very valuable. It is interactive and there are nice exercises. This is definitely not like those workshops where you have to sit and listen for a couple of hours.
AA Living Garden Design: I was looking for solutions to deal with the huge workload and make my clients happy. The Masterclass Work Smart has helped me with that.