Work Hacks That Will Make Your Job So Much Easier

One of the hallmarks of adulthood is having to make a living, fend for yourself and build a career. In this article, we’ll be looking at hacks that can be used at work to make doing your job easier. In a personal interview, Sandra, a textile artist, talked about how a simple tip led to her cutting down on work hours by almost a third of the normal time she would spend on her projects. This translated into more time to execute other projects, thus increasing her production and income. She also mentioned how she hardly reached a burnout or outright exhaustion stage because she always had time to rest.

For her, that trick was a total revamp of her studio to introduce effective storage systems and better organization. In her words, “I was no longer tripping over boards and cartons and tins sprawled all over the place. If I needed to use something, I knew exactly where to find it. It took a whole week to set it up but it turned out to be the best decision I could have made. I’ve saved

precious time that I would normally spend looking around for things. Need I mention the money I spent on extra supplies I had to get just because I didn’t know where I had kept the ones I bought before.” She also mentioned how she found it easier to begin projects immediately after she got a commission or had an idea.

There was no longer the long phase of procrastinating and twiddling around. In her words, “I had this issue where it would take me so long to even start the project. I didn’t realize that my mind felt so clouded most of the time because the studio was messy. It feels like I cleared up my headspace when I cleared the studio. Now that I have a system that works, I jump right into my work eagerly and I make sure to maintain the structure by cleaning up after myself and returning things to where they should be. When I wrap up one project, I’m ready to jump right into the next one after a nice bowl of ice cream and a short nap.”

One hack saw Sandra enjoying her job and being better at it than ever before. We know that you’re also one hack away from making your work easier and switching things up. 

So, here are not one but 5 work hacks guaranteed to make your job so much easier.

1. Set Out A Plan

You’ve probably heard this countless times but it is one magic trick that every working adult needs to master. Now, think about how you’re always so quick to whip out your phone and check a map for directions when traveling. Even when you’re visiting unfamiliar places, you don’t worry too much because you know that as long as you follow the map closely, you’ll get to your destination. There are even days when you think you’ve mastered the route to your new place of work or perhaps a new departmental store but you end up missing the way yet you can get back on track in no time by simply checking the map.

Think about your life as that journey. It’s not okay to go through without a map. Setting out plans will give you a sense of direction and focus. At any point, you’ll always have a ‘map’ to check. Life can sometimes be replete with unplanned circumstances that may put you off balance or make you veer off track. That’s why you need a plan. To execute that job to the best of your ability, you need to set out a plan to follow. You can take these simple steps:

Draw up a plan for every month listing out the things that need to be done. Be as detailed as possible.

Now, break this monthly list into weekly lists. Set out tasks for each week. Lastly, address each week one after the other and assign tasks to each day of the week. Voila! You have a plan.

You can take this even a step further by fixing specific times for tasks the night before. When you wake up each day with a clear idea of what needs to be done, it’s easier to get up and get moving.

2. Avoid the Phone Trap

Often, people think they don’t have enough time to accomplish their tasks when in fact they do. The issue in many situations is the time spent doing other things like scrolling through social media or chatting with friends.

A friend often talks about how she avoids her phone early in the morning to avoid going down the spiral of checking one social media platform after the other. Those enticing chats and catchy photos and videos can have you in a chokehold scrolling endlessly until you look up and realize that hours have passed by and you’ve not been productive.

There are special features on your phone that can help you ensure that you don’t get distracted when you should be working. You can set time limits on certain apps, or customize a work mode

setting on your phone that restricts the use of some apps. Another tip is to have short time blocks for using your phone during work hours or avoid it completely.

When you spend work time actually working, you’ll find that you can tick off your to-do lists quickly and eliminate rushing through tasks, and get worked up when deadlines are near.

3. Small Bites over Large Chunks

Break projects into small tasks and then chase them down one after the other. Sometimes, a project or task can seem so big that it gets overwhelming. This often affects the mind negatively and you may find yourself avoiding it due to fear of even starting. So, when you make your to-do list, instead of just writing one big task, split it up into small portions. Analyze that giant and divide the work that needs to be done into steps.

You’ll feel more confident to begin ticking off the small steps from your list and as you tick one after the other, it will boost your confidence and morale to see it through to the end. Remember that every journey begins with a step. Divide that long journey into steps and take one step after the other.

4. Don’t work alone

A lot of people are beginning to embrace remote jobs that allow you to work from home. While this may save you the time and stress of commuting, there may be days when you find it hard to get yourself to work. This is why having a work partner can help. You can have short calls to check in on each other or long stretches of calls working together. Many times, when I feel down and reluctant to work, I jump on a video call with my work partner. All we do is work silently providing companionship and encouragement to one another.

It’s also helpful to take a stroll to a cafe or open workstation close to you just for a breath of fresh air and a change of environment. If you work in an office space, depending on the work culture, developing a few close relationships can also be all the boost that you need. When you find yourself slacking, you can always reach out to someone to keep you accountable. Sometimes, all you need is just a pat on the back or a warm hug.

5. Rest

Yes, this same old tip that you know but continually ignore. Many people view rest as some form of an impediment to work but that’s not the case. When you rest, you give your body and mind time to be replenished and ready to go again. Don’t continue to give and give without retreating to refuel. No vehicle can continue to move if there are no breaks to top up the gas. Don’t wait until your body forces you to take a break. A good work culture includes not only knowing when to work but when to rest. Work hard. Rest hard. When you’re at your best, you’ll find that you can do your work more easily.

Try one of these hacks this week. You’re welcome!