There’s a classic business axiom that says “work smarter, not harder.” Every business looks for ways to be more productive. Are you applying the same logic to your job?
Employees are not heeding the same advice. In the U.S., full-time employees work 47 hours a week on average, according to a Gallup survey.
If you find yourself regularly logging more than 40 hours a week, it’s time to look at how you prioritize and manage your work.
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But first, it is important to recognize several unchangeable factors. Projects need to be completed on time. This means that you will need to work more hours than you would like in order to meet project deadlines. Some occupations do require you regularly work more than 40 hours to complete certain tasks. It is expected and you’ll be warned before you accept the job. Finally, some companies expect their employees to work overtime. It’s just part of the culture. It’s important that you thoroughly research an occupation and company before getting yourself into a job that is well-known for having employees work overtime.
Know where you’re spending time. Before you can do anything, you need to analyze where you spend your time. Log how you are spending your workday for two weeks or more. Categorize the activities into buckets like meetings, checking email and other key components of your job. Don’t forget to log the time you spend chatting with co-workers and taking care of issues in your personal life.
Self-regulate. Perhaps the easiest way to cut overtime is to regulate the things you can control. In other words, stop checking Facebook or looking for deals online. It’s easy to take a quick break but what often happens is that you spend much longer than you anticipated away from your work tasks. Pay attention to the time spent on activities not having to do with your job. It all adds up and lengthens your workday.
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Stop taking on extra projects. Are you bringing on the extra work yourself? It’s fine to help out once in a while, but if you are known as the safety net or go-to resource every time there is an emergency, you’ll regularly find yourself overworked. Learn how to say “no” or suggest colleagues who would be equally qualified to handle the special project before you start on yet another task.
Enlist help. Using an accountability partner can help you stick to your goals. You can tap a friend at work who will agree to support you as you implement your new work plan. All you have to do is set up regular meetings over the course of 30 days with your accountability partner and see what happens. The key is to select someone who isn’t afraid to dole out some tough love.
Present your solution as a pilot. If your manager is hesitant to embrace your idea, suggest a trial period. After the pilot ends, gather up the data and meet with your manager again to discuss how he felt it went and what changes he noticed. No one likes change, but when presented as an experiment, it can make a new idea seem less risky.
Build your case with examples. Be on the lookout for companies or departments within your own organization that have successfully implemented time-saving solutions. There has been a lot of news lately about stress, dissatisfaction and lack of employee engagement. Much of that can be alleviated when companies implement solutions for a better work-life balance. If your company hasn’t done this yet, you may be able to help pave the way.
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Propose options to your manager. Rather than complaining to your boss about the extra hours you have to put in, it’s smart to present solutions and get your boss to buy into one. Before your meet with your manager, plan your side of the conversation. You should begin by presenting the fact that you are working too many hours. The more specific and detailed you can be, the better. At the very least, have the data ready to share. You will define how you spend your time each week. Then you’ll present a couple of different options and ask your boss to help you implement the new plan. Be sure you present your options as suggestions. Your boss may have her own ideas on how to reduce your hours and you don’t want to look like you are overruling her.
Gain alliances. If your teammates also want to decrease their overtime, you can create a plan together. Develop a solution each of you can implement and agree to. Be sure to quantify the hours saved or other measurable outcomes. With the plan in place and quantifiable projected outcomes, someone from your team needs to represent the group and present the information to leadership.
Be your own solution. As a last resort, only if your manager hasn’t been responsive to your requests, make the changes without your manager’s preapproval. When your boss finds out, you will need to explain the outcome of your improvements, so make sure you take this step only if you are sure that it will work.
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9 Ways to Work Smarter, Not Harder originally appeared on usnews.com
