Dreading work days is a sign that you may be doing your tasks wrong. If you’re overwhelmed daily by your work load and feel that there isn’t enough time to get round to everything on your to-do list, here are some ways you can go about brining sanity into your career.
Prioritize (it takes practice)
We’ve all heard about the need to do essential tasks first,but it’s not as easy as it sounds. An urgent email will come into your inbox,or your supervisor will interrupt you and a crisis that requires your immediate attention may break out. Simply put, one cannot always predict how their day will turn out as much as they try to prioritize work that needs doing. However, when you have a clear list of the things that need doing when you do have the time, you’ll be able to check them off before the end of the day.
Practical list factors in the urgency of the work, how long it will take to do it and how complex it is. You can start by looking at everything that needs doing during the week and breaks down those into daily priorities.
Write it down
Unless you have a photographic memory, you’ll be setting yourself up for failure if you do not write down all that needs undertaking on any given day. It helps to make sure that nothing gets forgotten or overlooked. There is also a deep satisfaction than crossing items off your list as an indication of how productive your day has been.
Having a designated book or application to pen down various details of each task also helps keep your thoughts in order when you finally come round to doing the job. It also helps put procrastination at bay and remember to ask non-related by useful questions, for example, wanting to know if the company has a personal injury lawyer on the payroll. It is also important to write what needs doing down if you are dealing with more than one client.
Take breaks and leave on time
When our minds are tired, our productivity dips. A person wanting to be seen as a hard working person is reasonable, but if you’re moving slower, and as a result, working overtime, then that viewpoint is self-defeating. Breaks can include going for a walk, meditating or reading a book, anything to reenergize your mind to reduce the pressure and stresses of the day.
Though from time to time we may have to stay in the office longer than we’d hoped, working to always leave on time adds pressure on the need to get work done efficiently given there’s a time to beat. The act of leaving work on time aids in increasing focus and urgency.