Are you constantly working and still feeling overwhelmed and behind? If so, how do you fix this? By working harder? I say no, work SMARTER….If hard work pays off, SMART work pays MORE. I’ll tell you six ways you can work Smarter ….I’m Kalilah Reynolds, and it’s time for another episode of MoneyMondaysJA.

TRANSCRIPT

6 Ways to Work Smarter

By: Janel Rodriguez

Are you constantly working and still feeling overwhelmed and behind? If so, how do you fix this? By working harder? I say no, work SMARTER….If hard work pays off, SMART work pays MORE. I’ll tell you six ways you can work Smarter ….I’m Kalilah Reynolds, and it’s time for another episode of MoneyMondaysJA.

Before we get started, don’t forget to like this video, subscribe to this channel, and click the bell icon so you can be notified whenever there’s a new video. Also, subscribe to my newsletter at kalilahreynolds.com/newsletter, and check out the full website where you can read a transcript of this episode.

Finding smarter ways to work will save you energy, increase your productivity and motivation, and make you more valuable. But what are these ways? 

1. Plan

First, Plan. You have several goals you want to accomplish, and these goals come with several daily tasks and responsibilities. A major issue with balancing tasks is knowing that you have so much to do but not having a structure on how you’ll get them done. Thinking about them, without having them written down somewhere, can create anxiety, panic, and disorganization. Make a plan of your tasks for the week and then make smaller plans for each day, before you go to bed. These don’t have to be elaborate plans. You can make a to-do list on your phone or on a sheet of paper. However you choose to do this, your subconscious mind works on your plans and your brain goes to work while you are asleep. Moreover, having a to-do list will help you to organize tasks so that you don’t forget anything, and feel less anxious.  

Here are a few of my favourite apps for planning: 

• Evernote – I’ve been using this for years and they’re constantly updating it. They just introduced a neat Tasks feature that syncs across all your devices. 
• There’s the regular Notes feature on your phone; I use that a lot too.  
• There’s also an app called Simplest Checklist that I love! It comes with a widget for Android so it’s right there on the home screen on your phone. 
• And there’s also your good old calendar app – I’m partial to Google Calendar. These productivity apps help me to stay organized and declutter my brain. 

2. Time management

We always hear “Time is money” and it’s true! That is why many jobs pay by the hour. Your time is money and you need to treat it as such. Don’t give too much of your time to unnecessary habits and people. If it won’t be conducive to your growth or happiness, and you can avoid doing it, please do. 

Prioritize your tasks and try as much as possible to do them according to schedule. When you’re doing this, Resist the impulse to multitask and try to focus on one task at a time. Studies have shown that when you switch from one task to another, you actually waste time because your brain  takes some of that time to change its focus. Work within reasonable deadlines and don’t drag things along. 

Parkinson’s Law says that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.  This is so true! If you have a day to complete a task, you’ll generally get it done in a day. But if you have a week, guess how long it’s gonna take? Yup, it will take a week, lol.  So consider setting shorter windows of time for completing your tasks. This tactic will often increase the efficiency with which you’re able to accomplish these tasks. Moreover, throughout the day, unexpected things may come up …unplanned meetings, long phone calls, errands… it’s important that you set aside chunks of time for the unexpected work that may come up so that you don’t feel overwhelmed.  

I’ve developed a system of setting two hour chunks of time for certain tasks, with fifteen minute breaks in between to allow my mind to roam for a bit and mentally transition. As an entrepreneur, there are so many different demands on my time. I have to read, research and write as part of our production.  But I also have to do accounting, answer client emails, follow up on invoices, attend meetings, and a million other things. So I find that setting a couple hours of uninterrupted time for each of these things helps to get me in a zone, rather than jumping from random thing to thing. I’ve even set specific days for specific things and it really helps a lot.

3. Measure results, not time

So the third way to work smarter is to measure results, not time.  Look at the work produced instead of the amount of time put in. This is especially necessary if you want to work smarter. Judge yourself based on what you get done, and how effectively you do it,  as opposed to how much time you spend on the particular task. Did you complete your to-do list? Come up with new ideas to solve challenging problems?  Did you write the first draft of that article? Clearly, these accomplishments — not the hours that you log — are what ultimately drive success.  This is one of the strategies that a lot of businesses are looking at now that work from home has become more popular. Employers are realizing that it doesn’t matter what time you clock in and clock out, as long as you get the work done.

4. Take regular breaks

So back to an important one…you heard me mention it earlier. Take regular breaks!  All work and no play will make Kalilah go mad! Ensure that you set time aside for leisure, in whatever form that may be. You will be more productive in the 5 or 6 days that you work if you take one or two days off completely. Your mental and physical health is important to ensure that you take care of yourself and relax in between all your responsibilities. You need to recharge. Make that a priority. Even taking a small break during the day can clear your head and help you to focus.

5. Get help!

Next…Get help, don’t overschedule.  Sometimes we commit to more than we should. Often, we ignore the consequences of overscheduling until we become so exhausted we can’t keep up.  This can sometimes affect our health and relationships. Don’t be afraid to ask people for help, and even to pay for help if you need to. 

Delegate. Do not try to do everything yourself. I have a teenage daughter and now that she’s driving and it’s summer, I’ve started assigning her a lot of my errands that I used to stress over, trying to run all around town getting things done.  You may have heard me raving about the book “We Should all be Millionaires” by Rachel Rodgers.  One of the things she preaches is the art of delegating, and not just at work, but also at home.  If you find yourself doing all the housework, start assigning tasks to everyone in the household.  You don’t have to do it all yourself!  Whatever demanding task that occupies large portions of your time, try to find somebody that is better than you to help you do it. 

Have you ever noticed the wealthiest people in the world have networks of people who help them?   For me personally, the minute I started getting help, is when I really saw my business starting to expand. I had to realize that I couldn’t do it all on my own. By hiring other people to take on some of the responsibilities, I was able to say yes to a lot more opportunities, and together, we were able to make A LOT more money that I could have alone. You need to look at getting help as in investment that will reap rewards – remember, time is money! 

You have to ask yourself – is spending an hour doing the laundry really the best use of your time? In Jamaica, it will cost you about four thousand dollars, or about 25 US, to hire a helper for the day to do all your housework and even cook. How much could you earn in that time, if you were to spend that time working on your side hustle instead?  You could probably earn a lot more than that four thousand dollars, which would make it money well spent!

6. Network

My last tip for working smarter is to Network!  Every day, everywhere you go is another opportunity to network. You’ve heard the cliche, “No man is an island…no man stands alone”. Many individuals that have succeeded in their careers have done so through strong networking channels they have created over time. All the hard work that you put in may go unrealized without forming the right impressions and networks.  The higher the quality of your connections the more opportunities you will be exposed to.  

Networking for me has been one of the keys to my success.  They always say it’s not what you know but WHO you know.  I came to Jamaica thirteen years ago and I didn’t know anyone! No family, didn’t have an Old Girls Association to call on.  But I strategically put myself in situations and places to meet the right people. And even as a veteran journalist now, you might think I know a million people, and I do. But when I was launching my business, I still had to think strategically to increase the quality of my network.  The people I needed to know as a journalist weren’t necessarily the same people I needed to know as an entrepreneur, so I intentionally put myself in places where the people I needed to know would be.  If you don’t know the right people, you’ve got to get to know them, and make sure they know you!

Abraham Lincoln once said, “If I had six hours to cut a tree, I’d spend the first four hours, sharpening the saw.” Working smart does not mean being lazy or constantly seeking shortcuts, it means maximizing productivity and efficiency, and being strategic about how you invest your time and efforts. 

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