What are your office timings again? Nine to five? Why are you stuck at office at half past eight then? Overworking? I don’t think so. You are probably stuck with doing your day’s work that you couldn’t complete by five. That happens in every office, believe it or not. People stay back to finish their work and go home extremely tired to catch a few hours of sleep before the same thing starts all over again the next day.
Believe it or not, finishing work on time is actually possible. That’s not it. Finishing work on time is extremely important if you want to maintain balance in life. Otherwise, you will be one of those people who barely have time for their spouse and kids, and barely know what’s going on back at home. Manage your time. It is easy.
Get Critical
No, I am not asking you to critique your juniors and dump more of your work on them, tempting as that may be. I am just asking you to critique yourself. If something that is supposed to take forty hours a week is taking sixty plus hours a week, you need to re-consider your approach. You need to re-think your efforts. What do you do during your work hours? Manage emails more than concentrate on your work? Time to change things!
Start Big
Yes, I mean big. Don’t think you can finish off smaller stuff first and then concentrate on the bigger stuff. Things won’t work that way. You should start off with big stuff when your mind is fresh and energized. Try finishing the big tasks in the morning session. Post lunch, you can concentrate on the smaller tasks.
No Distractions
Even a small distraction can disrupt your flow completely. Try making your workspace as distraction-free as you can. Put your phone away. Close all the unnecessary browser tabs. Put on your headphones. Concentrate.
Take Breaks
You might think taking a break will stymie your progress. Au contraire. Breaks will actually help you perform better. You will feel re-energized and you will be able to come back with newfound focus. If you work continuously, you won’t be able to concentrate after a point of time. Minutes will drag into hours and work done will be zilch.
Say No
When you know you are going to be busy throughout the day, why would you accept an invitation to a conference or something of its likes? It may be hard for you to reject offers but rule number one is the business world requires you to learn how to say no.
Follow these tips and you will have enough time on your hands for your family. You will never work late again.
Entrepreneurial Learning
You don’t need to work late each day to get things done. You can – it is easily possible – to finish your work on time and head home with everybody else. You just need to tighten the screws here and there, and take a few breaks to stay energized.