How to get the most out of your time at work: 7 simple tips

1. Measure productivity by results, not by the hour

We assess how productive the working day was by the hours worked. But this approach is outdated. Look at the results of labor instead.

“The clock is not the best indicator of the work done,” says Posen. Have you ever spent three weeks on an article that turned out badly? And three days for an article that worked out really well? When did you spend your time more productively?"

2. Rank your goals by importance

Surely you have main goals for the week and year. Sort them according to importance. We usually neglect this.

Think about whether your goals reflect what you like and what you are good at? What is the reason behind each of your actions and goals? How well do they meet the needs of your organization?

3. Don't worry about small things

There are always small things that take a lot of time and effort, such as sorting letters. Most check their inbox every five minutes. But this makes it difficult to focus on work. Go to the mail every couple of hours and look only at the subject and the sender.

Posen also advises to read the letter only once. Open it and decide if you need to answer it. If yes, please answer right away. 80% of emails usually do not require a response.

If you have a tedious task to do, don't procrastinate. Break it down into a few easy steps and start with the simplest. After completing it, you will experience a burst of energy and deal faster with the following.

4. When working on an important project, start from the end

More often than not, we spend a whole week gathering information and communicating with people. And then we try to quickly put it all together and make some kind of conclusion. Posen considers this approach ineffective. If you wait a long time, you will have a lot of unnecessary data, you will simply get confused.

Don't wait until the end of the project to come to some conclusions. Spend a day or two studying the materials and formulate preliminary conclusions. In the process, make changes, and then summarize the final result.

5. Give yourself time to think

Don't keep busy every hour of your day. Be sure to leave time for reflection. Take breaks to reflect and remind yourself of your goals. Try not to spend the day in endless meetings or small matters.

6. Be predictable

As president, Barack Obama always took several blue suits on trips. So he didn't have to think about what to wear every time. Follow his example and be predictable.

Eliminate variables from your routine, such as what to wear or what to eat for breakfast. Don't waste time on unnecessary decisions, especially in the morning.

7. Don't stay late at work

Many stay at the workplace so as not to seem like idlers. Even if they really did a lot in a day. But you don't know what other colleagues are doing. Maybe they played video games all day.

Of course, there are emergencies when you need to be late, but don't do it every day. Answer all messages before leaving work so you don't think about them at dinner. Relax at home and spend a few hours with your family. Turn off electronic devices. Don't answer calls or read your work email.