Building on my blog from last week when I gave you ideas for how to capture your achievements for the past year
Building on my blog from last week when I gave you ideas for how to capture your achievements for the past year, I thought it would be a great idea to talk about how to work smarter in 2025.
I have been reading some great articles about not getting stuck in old ways of working, and taking time to work smarter that have inspired my own personal audit and revamp of how things get done.
There are several new practices I am implementing to work smarter in 2025. Some of them are more of a mindset switch than a physical way of working – but, never underestimate how a mindset change can help you accomplish more in the same amount of time.
Accepting that my workload is overwhelming – The first and most important part of my revamp is to accept that there will never be enough hours in the day to fit in everything that I need to do and want to do. Too often I work myself to exhaustion over a few weeks, believing that if I just keep my head down, when this busy period is over, I will be on top of my workload and able to achieve some work-life balance. Working hard to the point of exhaustion and burnout is counterproductive and not a smart way to work.
Accepting that it doesn’t matter how fast I go, I will never get to a place where all is calm and I have sufficient time to finish my work at a reasonable hour will help me to prioritise and therefore work smarter. I have written and developed courses on prioritisation techniques, so now is the time to apply them!
Making sure I am enjoying my work AND my life – This means recognising that every day and every week, there needs to be a balance of home/family/hobby activities and work activities.
In a practical sense (and because I am a planner by nature) I have just finished planning my schedule for January 2025, including 2 gym visits each week, special dog walks, meals out with my partner, concerts, a shopping trip and time with friends. This careful work life balance will help me to wort smarter as the working time and leisure time becomes more focused rather than blurring into one.
Make each day enjoyable – Marcus Buckingham wrote about the research from the Mayo Clinic on how to be energised and motivated at work by ensuring that every day we are spending 20% of our time on the things we really enjoy and have a talent for.
For me, a chance to hear from you, and find answers to your challenges is truly inspiring and my favourite part of any course or coaching session, so I have booked dedicated time to coach you for free, so I can be inspired to find new ideas.
Make time to feed my mind – Neuroscience explains that we gain huge amounts of positive stimulation from learning. Our brains like to acquire knowledge and skills. It is connected to the brains desire to protect us from threats, using the simple equation that the more we know, the more likely we are to survive any situation.
There is a joy that comes from learning anything new – big or small, creating dopamine, which is a chemical that provides us with energy and motivation. I know for many of you, I am your trainer in all things change and transformation, but it is important that I also become the trainee, so I have booked some learning events for Q1 already. Ensuring I am stimulating my brain in this way will give me a surge and help me to work smarter in other areas. The sense of achievement is non-comparable.
Incorporate movement and stretch my body – I love my sporting hobbies – lots of swimming, paddle boarding and dog walking, but I know I can make small changes at work that make my time at work more active. For example, I make sure my desk is in its standing position when I leave the office every night because that means I am less likely to sit down when I arrive the next morning. It is a simple habit, but it is very effective!
I hope you find these ideas and links helpful, and don’t forget, coming up is a session dedicated to helping you to find and describe your achievements for 2024 and capture them on your CV/Resume and your LinkedIn profile, register now for this free event on Friday 18th December where you can ask me questions and share your ideas and hear what others are going to include – lets work together to showcase our amazing work.
