Times are tough and many employers are asking their employees to do more.  For some, the job responsibilities seem to be piling higher than ever along with the feeling of working harder than ever.  While working hard can eventually take its toll, working smarter can greatly reduce the load to make it all more bearable and, more importantly, help you maintain your sanity.  Here are some quick tips to help you work smarter: 

1.    Create a To Do List.  It’s time to learn from our fearless leader, Blaine.  We’ve all seen his infamous “To Do” list.  Truth is that it is a great way to keep you focused on tasks and helps to develop the skill set of being goal oriented.      

2.    Use your resources.   Sometimes we may not have all the tools we need and we feel as though we are being asked to be a MacGyver.  Well, sometimes you just have to make do with what you have.  However, thankfully, it is not always like that.  Some things may have already been started or have been used before; so before you start reinventing the wheel, check to see what has been done in the past, whether in-house or from others in your industry.  You might get lucky and may be able to get something that only needs minor tweaking to fit your needs. 

3.      Know exactly what you’re doing.  Going into a project blind is one of the worst things you can do.  It is vitally important to know exactly what is expected of you and how you’re going to execute it.  Not knowing this information can lead to you doing less than what is needed or an unnecessary overload of work.  Communicate by asking questions and clarifying ambiguities to ensure you are on the same page.  An extra 5 minutes of communicating to get a better understanding of tasks can save you hours of unnecessary work in the long run.   

4.      Make sure you don’t have too much work.  Some people have so much work on their plates they couldn’t do everything on their “To Do” list even if they worked 24 hours a day, seven days a week.  You have to know your limits, know when to ask for help and when to say ‘no’.  

5.      Manage your time appropriately.  You absolutely need to learn to avoid unnecessary distractions and manage your time appropriately.  Stopping to chat with your colleagues every hour or checking Facebook or the latest You Tube sensation every little while isn’t going to help you manage your time better.  Schedule personal matters during your lunch break or for when you are off the clock.  Engaging in unnecessary activities may have been a fun break for you, but remember that work is even less fun when you end up missing deadlines and have to deal with an irate or disappointed manager. 

6.    Don’t procrastinate.  Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today? The more time you have to complete a task, the better you can pace yourself.  Don’t wait til the last minute and cram.  You’re not in school anymore.  Just get it done and over with.