It’s Not About Working Hard Anymore! Ways We Can Work Smart In The Modern Office

For anybody running a small business in the modern day, the old-school approach of working hard to get the results you want doesn’t seem to be gathering the appropriate outcomes. So what is the answer? If we are to progress in any aspect of business, we’ve got to think about working smart, not necessarily working hard. In business, this can be all about the processes, but are there any simple things that we can implement in the office to ensure that everybody is working smart? 

Get Everybody Moving

Exercise is one of those things that’s not just beneficial for your body, but for the brain as well. Arguably, this is why many businesses are incorporating standing desks over the typical cubicle and chair setup. There are numerous benefits of a standing desk, and while it might not be to everybody’s taste, if we can, at the very least, use this as a springboard to encourage people to get up and walk around, even if it’s to ask someone a question rather than firing over an email, we are going to encourage more conversation, which benefits the culture. It may not seem like a direct way to work smart, but when we think about a lack of productivity and increased sluggishness due to people being sat in their desks, getting up and walking around and having that little bit of energy gives us an edge and encourages focus.

The Power Of Structure

We view tasks as singular entities. As soon as we complete one task, we move on to the next. But because we are forever having to answer phone calls, check emails, and get distracted, this has a detrimental effect on our productivity. Structuring our day, not just in terms of our workload, but in terms of how we monitor emails and other distractions is crucial to our overall productivity. Batching is one component that works very well. If you learn how to respond to emails and messages in batches, rather than pouncing on it every time you get a notification, this means that you will focus more on the tasks you’ve got in front of you. Think about every time you get distracted, and how long it takes you to get back into your original task. It’s better to focus on one task and see it through beginning to end. 

Working With Your Focus

Concentration is a difficult thing to get right. After all, we are different people with different preferences. But if we have noticeable slumps throughout the course of the day, we’ve got to work with these and understand how we work at our best. There are techniques that can help you to work with your energy, rather than against it. The Pomodoro technique is one that’s been used a lot, but it’s also about prioritizing the tasks according to your energy levels. If you have more energy in the morning, this means that you are better off completing the more complex tasks because you will have the power to cope with them. Conversely, when you have a mid-afternoon energy slump, this might be a better opportunity to focus on miniature tasks that you’ve been putting off because they are able to be completed in smaller chunks.