Do you know how you manage to get through your entire to-do list (the one that typically sits half-full at the end of every day and week) on your last day in the office before vacation? Or how you can completely clear your inbox on a Sunday in 2 hours, when you’ve never managed to leave the office without at least a few straggling emails awaiting response the next day? There are some of us who put in very long hours a the office and even later hours at home, yet never manage to get all of our work completed. While others seem to have everything under control and can manage to get out of the office at a decent hour AND not log back in when they get home.
Here’s a few of the differences that people who ‘get it all done’ have from the rest of us:
1) They don’t check email in the morning.
Anything that needs to be taken care of will be taken care of during the day. If you get lost in the morning in more email you will be off track. Hold off – it will be okay!
2) They delegate.
If something isn’t in your wheelhouse or it is better for someone else to manage – let it go! Others will grow if they have different challenges. You can help them by delegating work that will increase their skillsets.
3) They focus on what they do best.
Do your job – not everything and your job. Know your strengths and put focus on them. Trying to do things that you aren’t good at is possible but it takes a lot more energy and time!
4) They have well-defined systems and are super-organized.
Find what works for you. Organization is key and if you don’t have a system you will not succeed. Whether it is how you file your emails, create your to do list, set in place a way to follow up or respond to emails – it doesn’t matter, it just has to be something that is easy for you to do.
5) They don’t waste time on social media.
If you find yourself checking Facebook during different hours of the day – know you are wasting your time. It is easy to get lost in what others are doing or finding new friends when we should really be focusing on the task at hand. Unless it is for your work, keep it off during the day!
6) They don’t multitask.
There is so much research on this it is amazing we still utter the term. Make sure that you are focusing on one thing at a time. Complete each task and then move onto the next. Think to yourself “slow and steady” and work through the projects with complete focus and energy.
7) They know when to leave the office.
At some point you’re not being productive, you’re just being busy and it’s time to walk away. We can only do so much. You know when you are not being productive – leave when you have to so that you can refresh and come back the next day and rock through.
We are all over taxed, finding balance and doing everything is simply not possible. Implementing the above techniques can help you from becoming overwhelmed.