Hi There,
Welcome to another edition of the Productivity Wednesday article. Our topic this month is set to shake tables and depending on your perspective, this reading experience would either be exhilarating or annoying to you. But I would advise that you keep an open mind and glean the importance of the message this article and topic seek to communicate and apply.
Last week, we commenced a conversation on work-life balance, and we are continuing the subject today. If have been an ardent reader of the Productivity Wednesday articles, you would notice how I close each article; “stay safe and work smart and not just hard.” Our discussion today is on Smart Work: Doing Less and Achieving More. The advent of technology made life better and easier for us but as time went on, the same thing seemed to ease the stress of compounding issues. For example, when computers were only desktops, once closed from work, we left work where it belong and went home to family and friends but nowadays since our computers are now more portable and handy, we tend to carry work everywhere, doing so much and not always achieving so much because we are spent and burnt out.
Smart work is finding effective and efficient ways to finish the task(s) while managing time and quality. For smart work, the prevailing thought is urgent, important, and significant in prioritizing tasks. Smart work focuses on quality of work and not just quantity and explores effective ways of accomplishing tasks like mindful procrastination, delegation, and organizing the work processes in a smarter way. With smart work, we engage our creativity in seeking ways to complete our tasks excellently and meet deadlines and not just focused on the “traditional way” or the one way of getting things done. Recently, there was this talk about Gen Z and their attitude and delivery at work One thing was common in a lot of the comments and opinions: Gen Z is creative and would always find a way to make their work less stressful and interfere with their personal lives. That is all smart work is about.
Delivery of quality tasks while meeting deadlines and having a life outside of work is what smart work is all about. Some elements to look out for when engaging in smart work include creativity and rationality, adaptability, spontaneity, great interpersonal and networking skills, and improvisation amongst many others. As we advance into the year and most probably be having our half-year review of how far we have come, also review how well you have delivered on tasks, how much time it took, and how much of me-time you had. Strike a balance between work and life.
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Until I come your way again, stay safe and work smart and not just hard.
Love,
Lizzy.