What are some uncommon ways to work smarter instead of harder?

1. Eat the frog, tackle your most important tasks first.

We use 9am-10am as “Crush” time.

During this time, we get our most challenging tasks out of the way and don’t disturb one another with questions. Whichever activity you are dreading the most is probably the one you need to complete first thing in the morning.

2. Plan tomorrow tonight

Create a short list of simple to-dos at night can help you hit the ground running in the morning, establishing a productive momentum that will carry you through the rest of the day.

3. List your “crucial results” for the day.

Create a spreadsheet listing your top 3 crucial for each day. This will help you plan each day and make sure you’re maintaining focus on the most important tasks each day.

4. Change your self-talk.

A simple shift in perspective can do wonders for your motivations and energy levels. Instead of saying “I have too much to do today!”, say “These are the two things I need to focus on today. ”

5. Use idle time to knock out admin tasks

Waiting in line at the grocery store, at the bank, in the elevator, etc. Bring a book you’ve been meaning to read, clear a few emails, or catch up on status updates. Or simply let your mind wander and observe the world around you.

6. Learn to say no

Learn to say no more often to guard your time for your highest leverage activities.

A saying “no” tip: When someone comes to you with a request that you need to say no to, simply ask them to give you 15 minutes to finish what you’re working on then by the time you come around to find out what they wanted, they’ll often have figured it out on their own.

7. Start the day with structured ’me time’:

Go through email and social media updates that have piled up overnight and triage the backlog. Knock out quick responses and referrals, so other people can start working on tasks. Schedule the bigger tasks. And delete the stuff that is informational or not important.

8. Use checklists for repetitive tasks to reduce errors:

Particularly when you are overworked or are operating under time constraints, checklists keep you on track.

9. Eliminate personal distractions:

Personal distractions could also kill your productivity at work. When you let personal distractions interfere with your work, you would easily lose focus and waste time doing nothing.

10. Stand more:

Are you feeling a little sleepy around 3pm? Stand up!

Is your posture starting to wane? Stand up!

It’s simple, but it’s effective.

～Bonus tip: Find the real, motivating reason for completing the task.

If you experience a slump in your usual productivity, a lack of motivation might be the culprit. Motivation is the fuel for productivity in the face of apathy, and generating it is as simple as tying the task at hand back to a bigger, more important goal.

Upvote if any of these could help you.