Work smart to get good work-life balance

We have all heard the phrase "Work Smarter, Not Harder" before.

But how do we do that?

Some of us are already spending 10 hours at work, yet we are still not able to impress our boss and contribute little to the company.

And now there is advice for us not to work hard?

It does not seem to make sense.

The reason for the advice is that when you are working hard, you spend too much time doing the work.

Many of us crave work-life balance.

Working smart is the way to get top results without taking too much time. Here are some tips to working smart.

BE STRICT WITH YOUR TIME

It may be tempting to slacking off during office hours but you will not realise how much time you waste.

When you set a schedule - and stick to it - to finish a project, you will be more focused and productive.

The result may not be perfect, but you can fix it if that is necessary. Just be more strict with your time. Do not waste even a single minute.

Say you are waiting for an elevator - do not use that time to checking your Facebook page. Instead, check your e-mail or organise your schedule.

TAKE BREAKS

People who work smart also take breaks. But of course, breaks are needed.

Here is the trick: rest for at least 15 minutes for every 90 minutes of work. This is based on a study which found that the brain is only able to focus for 90 to 120 minutes before it needs a break.

Taking breaks allows your mind and body to relax and refresh. After a break, you are ready to go back to the grindstone for another 90 minutes.

GET HELP FROM SCHEDULER

Evaluate all the things you do in a day and take an honest look at what you can hand off.

If you are really busy, it would be better to find a scheduler to help put things organise your calendar.

A scheduler can contribute to freeing up the time you use for coordinating plans.

Thanks to technology, there are virtual assistant services to be your own personal assistant, such as Zirtual.

Now you can have more balanced life, since the virtual assistant is taking care of mundane and small tasks such as proofreading documents, scheduling and data entry.

Bottom line: To work smart, stop being a perfectionist.

Trust the people around you, delegate work and automate using the latest technology.

If you are able to do that, it leads to good work-life balance.

Article contributed by TBC HR Consulting (S) Pte Ltd 
(www.tbchr.com)