How many times have you wished you had more time to get your work done? How can you work smarter, not harder? If you’d like to be more effective on the job, here is a proven, successful strategy to help you become as productive as possible without adding more hours to your day.
It’s called the “RED” rule of time management:
Reduce.
Make sure you’re only working 35-40 hours a week. While this may sound counter-productive, research has proven that the best amount of time to ensure maximum productivity is 40 hours a week. If you consistently spend more than 40 hours at work per week, you’ll soon see a sharp drop in productivity. Why?
Working long hours consistently can create health problems, make focused effort difficult, and result in error-filled work that will have to be redone. By that logic, a person who works 50 hours a week is only putting in about 35 hours a week of quality work. If you only work 35-40 hours, you’ll free up 10-15 hours for other activities, like relaxing and recharging or spending time with family and friends.
Eliminate
You’ve heard the truism that 20% of effort creates 80% of results, right? So what are the semi-productive or non-productive activities that are taking up 80% of your time? Look for non-essential meetings, paperwork, emails and so forth and cut them out of your schedule.
That way you can spend more time doing more of the 20% that really matters, which will increase your productivity and hopefully impress your manager.
Delegate
Once you’ve cut down on your non-essential tasks, take a look at everything that’s still on your plate. Is there anyone else who can do some of these tasks for you (as long as they fall under that person’s duties and responsibilities)? Once you’ve identified someone who can take them over, if that person’s time is less valuable than yours, delegate that task.
Does that sound fair? Remember, that’s exactly what the most successful CEOs do, and it’s the key to being a great manager. You’ll contribute most to the company if you spend your time doing what you do best.
Follow all three steps of this rule and you’ll not only create more time in your workday, but you’ll also make yourself even more successful.
Contact Staffers today if you’re still looking for the job that will help you achieve your goals.
