The term ‘Smart work’ is creating all the buzz these days. Every best-selling self-help book is stressing on the importance of smart work, yet a lot of us seem confused as to what it really implies. Well for me, the first step to working smart is to learn how to set priorities. If you really want to take charge of things, know how to prioritize. Probably that’s why they say, “it’s all about priorities”. Because, it really is. After all, when something is important to you, you will find time from your schedule no matter what.
So, can the art of prioritization be helpful at workplace?
Definitely it can be, because priority is a stimulant that keeps us awake. It’s a constant reminder that something needs to be accomplished. It is like a dose to the brain that keeps us active until the goal is reached. Accomplishing more in less becomes possible for real. Work becomes more enjoyable and things get lot easier to do. And, the best part is that the person feels more in control of his routine and life.
So, it really is all about convincing your mind that a certain piece of work needs attention. And, that it is important. That’s why the art of prioritization is so important to each one of us who find themselves constantly navigating a maze of unmet responsibilities.
Prioritization: creates concern, not stress
Prioritization tricks your mind into being disciplined, which creates a sense of urgency or should I say, concern. But, let’s not confuse the term ‘concern’ with ‘stress’. The two are entirely different things. Concern is a positive term; if you simply aren’t concerned about something, you won’t even do it. Stress on the other hand hampers your productivity. When you are neither concerned, nor stressed you become careless which makes you a slacker. And, most of the times we are either too stressed or just too careless until half the day is already gone, and then we start frenzying. Both the things are not good.
When you prioritize things, you feel concerned, which is a good thing. You don’t spend unnecessarily long hours doing one thing, while everything else goes undone creating a bundle of unaccomplished tasks. Prioritization lays the foundation of self-discipline. It generates that sense of concern. But the question is how to prioritize things? How to know which tasks should be given higher priority than the others?
Well, here are some tips that can help:
- Sort tasks on the basis of relevance
You may be tempted to do what seems easiest at the moment or what you personally want to do. But that’s not really the way to go about it. In order to create a to-do list in accordance with highest priority is to determine its relevance factor. What matters the most at this very moment? Give some thought to all the tasks that need attention throughout the day. Do carry things out as per their relevance in context with time factor.
- Set estimated time for each task
Depending on the number of tasks that you typically carry out in a day, allocate appropriate amount of time to each task. Try to complete the task within the allotted time frame. Don’t worry if are you are not able to do things within allotted timeframe. The idea is to at least start instilling a sense of discipline instead of just doing things randomly.
- Set most productive hours for most important tasks
Different people find different hours ideal for work. There are times when you are able to do things without much efforts. And then there are times when it seems to be taking forever to do even the little things. It’s because sometimes the focus is through the roof while other times it is totally missing. Find out what time of the day is most productive for you. If you feel morning time is when your concentration is highest, use it for most detail-oriented tasks. If you feel better focused sometime later in the day, then accordingly adjust your work plan.
At first, it may seem like sticking to a routine will restrict you. But the truth is that sticking to a well-planned routine makes life easier and a lot less stressful. It’s not binding, but in fact leaves you with plenty of extra time on hands. You will just have to try it once. A few minutes of prioritizing and planning can go a long way in improving your productivity and helping you gain more control over things.
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