5 Time Management Tips to Work Smarter, Not Harder

by Panzer
In the 1930’s, Allen Morgenstern coined the phrase, “Work smarter, not harder.”
This was in response to the long and grueling jobs performed by workers at Industrial plants.
By coming up with ways to make them more efficient with less effort, they found that productivity
increased, and workers were happier.
But how did they do it?
How can one work “smart” rather than “hard”?
Most of us have heard this term, and wonder how that can apply to workers today.
There are many ways to increase your productivity by using good time management practices and
a few extra tools to batch your tasks, track your time and prioritize what’s most important
to you.
Let’s look at 5 time management tips that can help you to work smart, not hard.
Tip Number 1: Planning Developing a plan of action for your day,
week or month helps to clarify what you need to do so you don’t have to keep going over
your to-do lists over and over again.
One useful tool is called S.M.A.R.T.
This acronym was developed by George T. Doran, a consultant and Director of Corporate Planning,
in 1981, in Spokane, Washington.
Although SMART does not have one definite meaning, and has been revised over time to
meet individual situations and needs, the original had five suggestions:
S = Specific.
Define a clear specific goal.
Know what it is you need to accomplish.
M = Measurable.
Have some idea of how you will track your progress.
Set a deadline or have a timer to show how long you have to accomplish this goal.
A = Assignable.
Decide who is going to do it.
If you are working alone, then clearly, the doer is you!
If you are working with a team, then be sure the person who is assigned the task is able
and willing to complete it within the time frame specified.
R = Realistic.
Once you know what the goal is, and who is going to do it, be sure it can be realistically
achieved within the time frame you have set, and with the resources available.
T = Time.
Assign a target date that is reasonable and attainable.
Having a clear picture of what you want to get done clears the way to achieving it.
Which leads us to the next tip…
Tip Number 2: Create a Calendar Once you have a plan, and know what your tasks
are that you want to complete, you can put them on a calendar or planning board so you