Tips and Insights For Areas To Improve In At Work
There are many areas where you can improve at work, and there are a lot of benefits to doing so.
By improving the way you work, you may find yourself starting to enjoy your work, simply because you are in more control of your day and the quality of your work has improved.
The following are a few areas and ideas you can use to improve in the workplace.
Know Your Job
It sounds simple, but understanding your core job duties and being clear about the job you were hired for, keeps things in perspective. Naturally, you know what your job requires, but when you focus on your primary job duty, you can focus on ways to improve those core duties.
Set Daily Goals
The daily practice of setting goals can do wonders. The goals can be as simple as a to-do list or more detailed.
Use what works best for you, but make sure that you set achievable goals, one step at a time, one day at a time. When you get into the habit of setting daily goals and you have a large goal come up, you’ll already have significant practice.
Set Priorities
Some tasks are more important than others. You need to ensure the essential tasks are completed first, as opposed to working on what you would rather work on.
Delegate
If you have people who report to you, make sure that when you are managing, you are truly managing and not doing others’ work. Learn to delegate those tasks that can be delegated.
For those tasks that can only be completed by you, see if you can delegate the parts that are time-consuming and not sensitive.
Delegating work doesn’t necessarily mean pawning off your work to other people; rather, you are freeing yourself up for sensitive tasks, such as leading and coaching your team. It also allows you to focus on process improvements and troubleshooting.
Rather Than Asking, “Am I Almost Done?” First Ask, “Am I Doing The Right Thing?”
A lot of times we get very busy working and wanting to finish the task at hand, only to find we have been working on the wrong project.
It’s best to pause and ask these questions:
Am I working on what I should be doing?
Am I doing this correctly?
Am I doing this effectively?
Always Get Clear Instructions
How many times have you worked on projects, completed them, and presented them, only to find you must start over because you didn’t get the correct instructions or didn’t understand them? It’s frustrating and wastes time.
It’s best to get clear instructions from the beginning. Get instructions in writing, if possible.
If your boss asks for something, ask if they can send it in an email so that you have clarification. If you find it difficult to ask this, you can email your boss with the process written as you understand it and ask your boss to verify the instructions or make changes as needed.
Keep A Notepad Handy
It’s easy to get distracted during work. Do your best to stay focused on the job at hand. Many times, I’ll be uninterrupted other times I must deal with the problem immediately.
For the times I need to stop, if I don’t jot down where I am in the project on a notepad, I’ll keep thinking about it instead of the job at hand. When it’s written down, I can focus on what I’m doing and get back to the issue exactly where I left off.
Arrive Early
When you get to work early, you set a good pace and get a head start. You may think I can barely get to work on time; how can I get to work early?
Think of it this way: wouldn’t you rather settle in, get organized, and get a head start to your day, maybe even have a coffee, rather than starting your day in a rush and struggle to catch up?
Avoid The Chit-Chat
Being social at work makes you more personable, but at the same time, if you overly socialize, then your work can suffer.
You may have many friends at work. You can socialize during break, lunch, and during a few minutes of downtime, but avoid getting into long-lasting conversations that have nothing to do with work. Long chit-chat sessions steal your time and force you to play catch-up later.
Master Time Management
How you spend your time is the same as how you spend your money. Spend your money wisely and you’ll have more of it. Spend your time wisely and you’ll have more time to spare.
Watch Who You Spend Time With
The people you spend time with influence you; they can bring you up or bring you down. You should associate with people that are success-driven, smarter than you, and productive. These traits will start to rub off on you, simply by being around them.
Learn To Say No
By saying no to others’ requests, you are saying yes to your own progress. Now, that doesn’t mean you say no to your boss, or to a co-worker that can use your help occasionally. It means to say no to those who take advantage of you and try to get you to do their work.
Get Feedback
You want to make sure you are getting feedback for the work you’re doing. You could be pushing hard and working on a project, but your boss doesn’t agree.
You could be doing something you are unaware of that can harm your career.
Make sure you’re getting feedback.
What’s the best way to get feedback from your boss? Simply ask them.
You can simply ask, “can I get some feedback on the . . . project I have completed?”
Or
“I’m looking for feedback on my work performance. Can you point out areas where I need improvement?”
Create A Stop Doing List
A stop doing list is the opposite of a to-do list. Many people use a to-do list, but people rarely use a list of issues that they should stop doing.
With a stop doing list you can minimize or eliminate the issues holding you back.
In addition to the information above, you’ll find a collection of unique resources that offer ideas for improvement at work, from a variety of experts. You’ll have access to an abundance of information from one place.
