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Everyone struggles to get through their workday sometimes, and most would wish for a fairy with a magic wand to complete all the tasks they haven’t done yet. Unfortunately, there are no fairies and no magic wands, but there are a few things one can do to make their jobs get done quicker and easier.
Humans can be very innovative, and many tools make working in the office much more manageable. Some of these are even free of charge, making it a bonus. Along with these tools, office dwellers can change a few of their habits and ways to make their job easier. Keep on reading to learn more.
1. Prioritize The To-Do List
Not all tasks will carry equal importance, so start by listing all activities for the day and mark the most important ones. Get going with these tasks to finish them on time and to ensure that no one wastes unnecessary time on the part of the job that doesn’t matter.
Another way of going about the day is finding easy jobs that pay well. Usually, these jobs don’t have a very long to-do list to prioritize, and the person will have less stress about the workday ahead.
2. Take Regular Short Breaks
Attention span and focus may differ from person to person, and everyone will know how long it takes them before they become restless and irritated. When this happens, the body says that it needs a break. Not everyone will have the exact needs, and it’s up to the person to choose how regularly they’ll get up from their desks.
As soon as an individual loses focus and concentration, completing tasks halfway or halfheartedly is no use, and taking a quick pause will refresh the mind for better work performance.
3. Make The Workday Fun
If the office allows it, bring in some fun elements to keep you cheery all day. It’s believed that an individual can do more work when they feel energized, so adding more fun will increase production levels. Some may prefer to surround themselves with family photos, while others will have movie characters, superheroes, or anything else on their desks that’ll remind them to have more fun.
Themed days are a winner, and even if the person doesn’t dress up, they can categorize their work tasks according to a theme, so they know which super duty they need to complete next. Fun socks and undergarments may add a hidden element of joy to the person, especially when only they’re aware of their ‘big-girl-pants’ for the day.
4. Do Difficult First, Easy Last
One mistake most people will make is blazing through all the easy tasks first, leaving the difficult ones last. It could be very demotivating knowing that the one thing they have the least energy for is waiting after they have already spent so much energy on the easy tasks.
Flip the order around and tackle the difficult ones first. When doing this, the person will get those dreaded problem activities out of the way, leaving only the ones they can quickly do with little to no effort for the end of the workday.
5. Use Energy Wisely
Some days people will have more energy than on other days. And on the days they have more drive, they’ll have the motivation and are more likely to get more done. Don’t be discouraged on the days when things aren’t running so smoothly. Instead, plan the workload accordingly.
On good days, get as many of the higher priority activities done while leaving some more mundane tasks for those days lacking energy and motivation.
6. Templates Are Your Friend
Wasting time replying to emails or messages is one of the leading causes of workers becoming frustrated. However, there’s an easy answer to all of this. Answer or send standard emails or letters by creating a template to copy and paste instead of typing it out each time.
Another time-waster is documentation that all have the same response or layout. Luckily, many templates are available online for most standard documentation types. Some operating systems may also have templates as part of their software.
7. Find Work Tools For The Computer
Depending on the workload and type of job the person has, they can find tools online to download that can assist them in making their job easier. Project management software, shared calendars, and video conferencing applications are some of the vast arrays of tools available for companies today.
Find one or all of the ones that’ll streamline all the day’s activities, and workers can even cut their workday in half to all the time they save. It leaves more room to accomplish tasks that the person didn’t even think were possible for their busy day.
8. Call Instead Of Emailing
Sometimes it’s easier to pick up the phone to get a message across instead of typing out longwinded email messages. Because the receiver can’t pick up on the tone and body language of the person conveying the message, misunderstandings are highly possible through written communications.
So, eliminate any confusion that may arise and get the task off the list in no time by phoning rather than sending it in writing. Keep the conversations short and to the point, and avoid getting into personal discussions to ensure everyone can get on with their day and work as soon as possible after the call.
A Means To An End
Although some jobs are more exciting, while others have more mundane tasks, there’s always a way to make the workload easier to manage. If the person has their priorities straight, their work activities in line, and their motivation high, they should complete their work without a hitch.
Thank goodness for all the technological advances that further make light work of the day’s functions. Without those, people may spend their days and nights getting everything done on time. Making the job easier is not about taking shortcuts that may leave quality lacking in the job; it is about using quick and efficient ways of working.
People should just add more fun to their day and find the best means to an end, all while making the most of their workday.
You may also like: Can Working Remotely Improve Your Productivity?
Image source: AdobeStock
