12 Motivational Tips to Work Harder and Smarter

Not because you work more, doesn’t mean you get more. Many people often subscribe to the idea that staying busy means you are going to be more successful. However, hard work alone will not let you capitalize on these wonderful opportunities if you don’t use your brain. Otherwise, you’ll look back and wonder all the failures you’ve made.

So, rather than working longer hours, why not consider working more strategically. Here are some tips on how to work harder and smarter so you can have more productivity at office or in your business. 

1. Have a plan.
Have you heard about the saying “A goal without a plan is just a wish.”?

Make a to-do list of all the things you’re going to do for the rest of the week. It is always important to make plans ahead before doing your tasks. We all have a strategic plan and it’s called “doing things”, that’s one best plan you can do to finish your work on time.

2. Set Goals.
“If your plan didn’t work, change the plan but never the goal.” – GnomeAngel

This is one of the most important components in achieving success because your goal will help you reach your full potential and will keep you motivated to get the result you’ve been waiting for.

3. Prioritize.
“The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your
priorities.” -Stephen Covey

Assess everything that needs to be done before you plunge into something headfirst. Once you’ve identify things to work on, try to focus your time and energy on important things rather than the other.

4. Be flexible.
“Stay committed to your decisions, but stay flexible in your approach.” – Tony Robbins

Probably, you spend some time handling crises at work, but you also have to keep in mind that there are things that need to be change and you have to adapt to different circumstances.

5. Avoid procrastination.
“Don’t let your want for perfection become procrastination.” – Danielle LaPorte

If you’ve found yourself putting off important task at work it might affect and disrupts your career. However, the key in controlling this act is just to recognize when you start procrastinating and understand why it happens.

6. Measure the result, not the time.
“Results happen over time, not overnight. Work hard stay consistent and patient.” – Unknown

Instead of focusing the time that took you just to finish your task, focus on the task you’ve done. You should also notice a difference on how you work at it.

7. Set deadlines for major projects.
“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” -Unknown

Instead of focusing on unimportant things, try to pay attention on major projects you have to finish. Divide large projects into manageable pieces and do it one at a time.

8. Focus on the task at hand.
“You get what you focus on, so focus on what you want.” -Unknown

Devote your entire focus on the task you have at hand. You better close other browser window, put away your or turn it in silent mode so you can pay attention and concentrate on your tasks at work.

9. Turn the key task into habits.
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then is not an act but a habit.” -Aristotle

Sometimes, doing a lot of one thing becomes a chore. By turning these tasks into habits change the way you perceive them.

10. Be aware on how much you spend time on Internet.
“All time management begins with planning.” – Tom Greening

Be aware of how much you spend time browsing to internet while you are at work. By simply, noticing how it is sucking up your time, you’ll begin to lessen doing it.

11. Create organized systems.
“Being organize is being in control,” -Unknown

Being organized saves a lot of time. One thing to do so you’ll be organize at work, is to create a filing system for documents and make sure all items are place in your dwelling.

12. Stop multi-tasking.
“Multi-tasking means screwing up several things at once.” -Unknown

Switching form task to task means you’re not paying attention to everything around you at the same time. Thus, stop letting your work suffer and start doing task one by one to find your focus.

13. Consider the big picture.
“Think big, dream big, believe big, and the results will be big.”-Unknown

If you look at each tasks assigned to you at work on its own, the growing effort will likely exceed available hours in your day. So, better set out all the opportunities on a paper and look for the synergy, then identify patterns and create repetitive practices.

14. Learn.
“Don’t be afraid to take time to learn. It’s good to work for other people. i worked for others for 20 years. They paid me to learn. “- Vera Wang

Become a learning machine for yourself. Hang out with some smart people at work, read books, or go to conferences to gain knowledge. If you’ve made mistakes at work, take it as a lesson you have to improve and learn from it.

15. Just Enjoy.
When you enjoy what you do, work becomes play.” – Martin Yan

Don’t let yourself be stressed out at work. Always ask yourself what you can do to spend more time enjoying on what you are doing. No matter how hectic or busy your schedule is, you still have to find time to socialize, take a break, and have fun.

You can accomplish anything with hard work at the same time when you use your intellectual capacity. This is one of the struggles in every workplace. Working hard and working smart sometimes can be two different things, but if you combine the two you’ll get your task done and will help you succeed in the near future.

Sometime you can’t help but think that no matter how hard you work, it seems like it’s not yet enough in order for you to succeed in life. There is always a better way to do something no matter how you think you’ve perfectly done it a hundred times. Always keep in mind that you don’t just have to keep on working harder but rather you also have to keep in mind working smarter.