For some, working is a necessary evil and a way to make ends meet - for others, it gives a reason for being and justifies their existence. However, no matter where you sit in the spectrum, working is an intrinsic part of life and something that occupies the majority of our time.
When you look at it, most of us spend more time at work than anywhere else, apart from our homes. A standard eight-hour day, Monday to Friday, leaves us with little time for rest, relaxation, or time with friends and family, so it would perhaps be prudent to find ways to use that time more effectively and make it easier going and more enjoyable.
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Below are a few tips to get more from your workday and streamline those wasted hours so you work more efficiently.
Don’t duplicate the work of others
The problem of task duplication is surprisingly common, particularly in larger firms. Very often, separate departments have their own way of collating and storing data - and frequently this data gets replicated without anyone realizing.
If you suspect your firm’s processes are slightly disparate and disconnected, think about asking your bosses if they could bring in external help to isolate issues. Working with a Microsoft BI specialist who can use Power Query, Power Pivot, and Power BI tools, will allow your company to take an elevated view of the data you capture and how you store it - in turn, allowing you to generate a single resource with common practices and eliminate data duplication.
Learn to delegate better
One of the most common complaints among bosses is the perennial ‘not enough hours in the day’ syndrome. Very often, managers feel as though they’re the best qualified to do jobs, no matter how menial, instead of entrusting those below them to do the work.
As a rule, try to look at the overall value of the work you’re doing and ask yourself, will this task be of substantial benefit to me or the firm? If the answer is no, delegate it to someone below you.
Spend less time planning, and more time doing
Yes, planning is important (particularly for bigger tasks), but very often, over-planning gets in the way of actually working. The more time you stress over how something is going to work, the less time you’ll have to make it work, so be mindful of how long you spend overthinking jobs.
Focus on the task at hand
In today’s ultra-connected, always-on culture, it’s all too easy to become distracted from what you intend to get done. Phone calls, emails, and video conferencing can bring tremendous benefits, but they can also prove to be a huge distraction that frequently cuts into your workday. Before you know it, it’s 5pm already and you’re left wondering where the day went.
Instead of replying to emails the minute they come in or answering every call, try to set aside some time each day to focus solely on what needs to get done, distraction-free.
Write a list of things you need to get done that day
In line with the above, writing a fixed list of tasks you need to get complete that day can be a great way to keep you focused on the priorities. At the end of each day, take five minutes to compile a list of what you need to get done the following day.
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