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Do you find yourself at the end of the day exhausted and feeling unproductive despite having worked around the clock?
Wish to accomplish more daily? Master 3 essential skills – outsourcing, single-task versus multi-tasking, and goals setting, and see your performance increase.
This comes as no surprise for most of us are often bogged down by distractions, urgent ad hoc tasks, emails and meetings, fast approaching deadlines….and the list goes on. It can easily become overwhelming and we wind up too tired bothering with improving the state of our productivity.
But there’s good news! It may not be as hard to improve your time management as you think. All it takes is a little time and effort to learn a few basic tips to effectively reduce stress, help invigorate your energy at work and increase your overall sense of satisfaction and achievement.
1. The Art of Outsourcing
Most people don’t consider outsourcing tasks that can easily be done by someone or something else. If you are procrastinating, feeling a sense of dread and dissatisfaction on the task, then perhaps it’s worthwhile to consider outsourcing. For HR managers, the tasks of manually setting up payroll on a monthly basis can be mundane and time-consuming. Not only that, but having to setup working days, employee leave entitlements and keeping up with company policies can result in human errors and/or unintentional regulatory non-compliance that could have been easily avoidable by outsourcing the process to payroll software providers instead.
Other tasks such as research or data entry can also be easily outsourced or even delegated to hired interns. With time-consuming tasks out of the way, you will be able to focus better on more value added strategic tasks and help you adopt a positive attitude in the workplace.
2. Single-Tasking versus Multi-Tasking
Contrary to popular belief, multi tasking does not necessarily mean doing more in the same amount of time. It is the act of multi-tasking that results in exhaustion and the feeling of being unproductive at the end of the day because your mind is just overwhelmed by the massive to-do-list and simply not focused on completing the important tasks at hand.
Slow down, notice what needs to be done and concentrate on those things first. Do the tasks that create the most value first, and if you can, delegate the non-essential ones. Each time you complete a valuable task, you will feel more motivated and refreshed to complete the next. At the end of the day, you will not only get things done but also feel a sense of satisfaction that you have managed to accomplish what you have set out for yourself to do.
3. Set Clear Goals & Short-term Objectives
Like most aspects of your life, it is much easier to accomplish the tasks you set out to do when you have an absolute clear vision of what it is. Outlining your objectives for the short term rather than the long term will enable you to identify what needs to be done first before addressing the tasks of lower importance and diligently keep track of deadlines of key projects. Prioritizing and setting out clear goals for yourself will ensure that all tasks at hand are addressed in a timely manner and ultimately become a more productive employee.
