Day 16: Be more realistic about deadlines
A common problem is that we underestimate how long things will take and then commit to unrealistic deadlines.
Accurately estimating how long things will take isn’t easy so don’t expect to get it 100% right. Experience is key here. The more times you’ve done something, the more accurate the estimate.
If you don’t have experience, you could try capturing how long each phase / step took as you're completing it, for future reference. I know timesheets are painful but they do come in handy later on.
It’s also a good idea to correctly identify any underlying assumptions and interdependencies. Are you clear on the scope of the work? Will some of the work be done by others, saving you time? Do you need information from others and will they be able to promptly deliver without you having to (spend time) following up multiple times?
If you’ve made a bad estimate, talk to your stakeholder to see if there is any wiggle room before you put in that all-nighter to get the work done.
And for my fellow overachievers, please ask yourself whether something really needs to get done today or whether you are just obsessed with staying ahead. (I know, right?)
Day 17: Ask for help
Don’t think that you have to do everything on your own.
If you're feeling overwhelmed, ask your colleagues to help you out and you can return the favour when they’re in a bind.
If you're not comfortable asking for help, ask yourself whether this is more or less comfortable than working every weekend or working late into the night while everyone else is doing normal hours. Also, consider that by maintaining an unhealthy pace, you could be unknowingly covering up bigger resourcing issues in the team.
If you’re a manager and regularly try to do everything on your own, ask yourself whether you are delegating effectively. Are you constantly swamped because you can’t let go of the work and trust others to do it? Or are you spending your days micromanaging staff and then catching up at night? When you let your control issues take over, staff miss out on learning and you miss out on time for self-care or strategic thinking (the non-urgent but important stuff).
Day 18: Plan your day the day before
If you’re on top of things, you’ve scheduled both your appointments and your tasks. Your diary is up to date and you only need to do a quick review before leaving the office (or logging off for the day) to see if any minor adjustments are needed for tomorrow.
But no matter the state of your diary, as a minimum, try to always plan out your day the day before. This way, you can start working as soon as you’re back in the office the next day, without spending the high-energy part of the day sorting out a to-do list. Arriving with a plan will also reduce the risk of you allowing other people’s agendas to take over your day.
Day 19: Resist perfectionism
It’s OK to take pride in your work, strive for good quality or excellence. However, perfecting something beyond the care level of your boss or client is not a good use of your time.
To battle your perfectionist tendencies, test an early draft of your work with your colleague, boss or client. You may find that what you have is already good enough and that only a few more tweaks are needed to wrap it up.
If you're working on a larger document, consider setting up the headings with key points under each, then testing this with your stakeholder before you proceed further. You could also write a sample section to see if they’re happy with where you are headed. Just don’t wait until your gigantic report is fully written to test whether it meets the mark.
Although you should always do the best you can, there is the risk of working on something too long to get it ‘just right’. Your boss or client would likely prefer to get an adequate document this week than wait for the 'perfect' version (whatever that means) to be delivered next month.
Done is better than perfect!
Day 20: Be more intentional about your meetings
Random meetings with no purpose don’t belong in your nor your colleagues’ diary.
Try to make sure that every meeting you initiate is clearly linked to your desired work results. It may seem a bit tiring at first, as you are working on taming your urge to book a meeting before carefully thinking the need for it through, but know that this extra effort will pay off.
For each meeting you book, set clear objectives for what you want to get out of it and share them with the participants. This could just be a few quick bullet points in the invite, which will also help you decide how long the meeting should be. If you only have a couple of points to cover, there is no need to book a one-hour meeting.
Another thing to try is booking 30-minute meetings by default and only booking one-hour meetings where the agenda is longer.
Day 21: Set a theme to each day
As mentioned on Day 12, you can improve productivity by mindfully structuring your days, ensuring that your important work is scheduled at times when your energy is high.
Another thing to consider is setting themes to particular days of the week by following your interest levels.
For example, if you are most interested in thinking about long-term stuff early in the week and things that require less brain power towards the end of the week, you could theme:
Monday as your strategy day
Tuesday and Wednesday as your main ‘getting things done’ days that you pack with desk work (writing, reviewing, etc.)
Thursday as your meeting marathon day
Friday as your admin day when you get through less creative work, have morning tea or lunch with your team and plan the next week.
This can help you avoid decision fatigue and reduce stress because if something comes to mind or hits your inbox, you know on which day you will be scheduling it in and dealing with it. It also creates focus and increases efficiency because each day you are working on similar tasks, which require a similar frame of mind.
In addition, you only need to have a good hair day once per week (on your meeting marathon day). So many benefits, my friends!
Day 22: Do less
I’m not saying you should forget your dreams and lower your expectations. Quite the opposite. I am suggesting that you make more time for the things that matter by dropping the things that don’t.
On Day 6 we said that setting goals and being clear on what we want helps us make good choices. Well, now you can start making those choices.
If you don't keep timesheets, look at your diary and to-do list and consider the projects and committees you're involved in to collate a high-level list of things you spend time on at work. Then rate everything based on the degree to which it brings you closer to your work targets and career goals.
Don’t overthink this. Put it all down in board categories and work through the list quickly, assigning a low, medium or high rating.
Now, find a way to get rid of the low-value stuff. Decline the low-value meeting invites, delegate the low-value projects to someone else or bow out of the commitments, and cross the low-value tasks off from your to-do list.
Then be careful about this stuff creeping its way back into your life. Reference your goals.
Day 23: Make time for your hobbies
I know that yesterday I said we should be doing less. And I stand by that. We should be doing less of the things that don’t add much value to our lives and that don’t get us much closer to our career goals.
But increasing focus is not the only way to do better at work. Funnily enough, I think engaging in non-work activities helps as well. And I don’t mean chores and childcare but rather things that feed your soul.
If you’re struggling to devote time to your hobbies because you feel you should be working instead, remember that they are part of self-care. And we all know that self-care helps us recharge and increases productivity.
On the other hand, if you understand the value of hobbies but are struggling to find time for them, consider the following:
Start small. Don’t think you need to spend hours each day – just carve out 15 minutes. And if you have a hobby that requires more prep (or commuting) than picking up a book, then carve out time on the weekend.
Find a time of day or a day in the week when this will actually work, otherwise you will make up excuses and give up. For example, if your thing is reading, consider reading for 15 minutes in the morning with your first cup of coffee, while eating a bacon sandwich (I mean, salad) on your lunch break or right before bed as part of your winding down ritual.
Know that it doesn’t need to happen every day. Don’t give up on this new habit just because you had to miss a day here and there. Just see it as a long-term habit you’re building so it doesn’t matter if it only happens on most days or most weekends, as applicable. It’s better than zero days, right?
The tips can also be viewed on LinkedIn.