Preparing for the Future: Working Smarter and Harder

This is the next in a series about things you need to think about in preparing for the future, including your eventual retirement.

The focus will be on pre-retirement issues initially and then on the actual process of planning your retirement. Although retirement may be a distant thought for many of you, there are some principles that you need to understand and incorporate into your daily life so that you are ready to tackle the issues that come with maturing and growing older. 

The blog is written by Bill Clarke, a semi-retired management consultant who authored a book entitled Retirement Renaissance. In doing research while writing the book, Bill identified a series of things that everyone needs to think about in preparing for the future. Each blog will feature one of about 20 thoughts you can read about and ponder.

Preparing for the Future: Working Smarter and Harder

On May 25, the iconic Oprah Winfrey hosted her final show. In her 25 year run, she went from a barely known, aspiring young actress to the Queen of Television Talk Shows. She entertained millions of people around the globe and amassed a fortune estimated to be close to $3 billion dollars. She is one of the Top 20 Most Powerful People in the World with enormous media and political clout. Her philanthropy is establishing new guidelines for intelligent investment in community and social welfare programs. She is a model of success for her generation.

There are two quotes that Oprah made that resonate for the topic of this blog, namely how to work smarter and harder to achieve success.     

Quote #1: “The big secret in life is that there is no big secret. Whatever your goal, you can get there if you're willing to work.”                     

The essence of the first quote is that a successful person must have a strong work ethic and be willing to do whatever is necessary to achieve both short and longer range goals. This quote addresses the need to “work harder."

Quote #2: “The essential question is not, "How busy are you?" but "What are you busy at?"

The second quote addresses the other half of the work equation or the need to “work smarter." A truly successful person has to work both harder and smarter.

There may be a misconception that some people harbor that all a person has to do is work really hard and they will achieve success. The requirement to work long and difficult hours, including nights and weekends, is something that most high achievers do routinely. In my career as a consultant to senior management, I met many executives who worked almost around the clock, when it was necessary. One workaholic executive in the northeast worked 20 hour days and expected his executives to be available 24/7, including short notice team meetings at 2:00am.

The important issue is not how many hours a person works but, as Oprah says, what they are working at, or the results they are achieving. Long hours alone do not lead to unqualified success. What really counts are the results you are able to achieve with the number of hours you work. That is where the concept of working smarter comes into play.

How can you learn how to work smarter and harder to achieve your goals. Below is a list of activities used by people who have learned how to work both harder and smarter to achieve their goals.

1. Work to Your Strengths—the idea is to work on those things that you are good at and to delegate those things that you don’t do well. As a result, you will get more of the important things done in less time. 
2. Establish Goals and Priorities—the first requirement for working smarter is to make a “To Do” list, communicate the list, then establish the priorities of what needs to be done and when.                                                                                                                                             
3. Don’t Be Distracted—focus on getting things done and don’t allow yourself to be distracted by less important phone calls or emails. Make it a habit to check your calls and email two or three times a day, not when every message arrives.                                                                            
4. Learn How to Delegate—don’t fall into the trap of thinking that you can do something better and faster than anyone else. Train your associates to do some of your tasks, be patient and allow them to learn, just like you did.                                                                                       
5. Leverage Technology—get third party input on your most time-consuming tasks to determine how you might leverage technology to simplify, reduce or eliminate some of the time constraints.                                                                                                                              
6. Don’t Procrastinate—when you have a difficult task, start on it immediately, don’t put it off.                 
7. Determine Your Most Productive Time—whether we like it or not, some of us are “morning” people and some are “night” people. Align your most difficult tasks with the time when you are most productive.                                                       
8. Reward Yourself—when you complete a difficult task, reward yourself with a break or a cup of coffee or a trip to the gym. You will come back refreshed and ready to tackle the next task.                                                                                           
9. Remember the Purpose—you should remember that work is not the goal, the goal is to use your work to achieve your personal goals and fulfillment.                                                                     
10. Have Fun—work is tedious and sometimes very serious. Remember to smell the roses along the way and have fun.                                                                                                 

You can use these traits to help you work smarter and harder to achieve your future goals. Try them, they work. The next blog will focus on effective communication.