Apart from doing what you have been assigned and asked to do at work, there are certain nuances and strategies that can make your work easier. In today's dynamic work environment, simply completing assigned tasks is often not enough to thrive. Employing specific strategies can make a significant difference in your effectiveness and career trajectory. These practices not only enhance efficiency but also contribute to a more proactive and impactful presence within your organisation. 

 

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5 Strategies to Streamline Work

 

Adapt to the Working Style of Your Superiors 

While it’s not easy dealing with difficult supervisors, learning their working style could be of great help. The most effective strategy: empathise, and discover your boss’s style, so that you can imagine what they are looking for in an employee. Managing a difficult boss can be challenging, but treating them like a difficult client can provide a strategic approach to improve the working relationship and achieve better outcomes. Understand your boss's preferences, communication style, and priorities. Similar to managing a difficult client, this understanding allows you to tailor your interactions and responses accordingly. 

Building a positive working relationship with your difficult boss is also paramount. Make an effort to understand their point of view. Look for the common grounds on issues where your point of view differs. The overarching lesson is to figure out your boss’s style and orientation and try to stay one step ahead.

 

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Practise Time-Sharing 

Most probably you would have likely come across dozens of articles telling you not to multitask, however, it works differently for everyone. If you are actively working on multiple tasks that require your undivided attention at the same time, chances are high that you will not meet the perfection it requires.  Earl K. Miller, Neuroscience professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, says that "multitasking is not humanly possible". You're essentially time-sharing, not multitasking when you do two things at once. 

Multitasking and focusing 100 per cent of your attention on more than one thing at a time isn't possible, however doing multiple things simultaneously (passively— that doesn’t require mental focus) means you can get more done in less time. Multitasking is beneficial and comes handy when the tasks occur on autopilot without requiring your mental focus. When you throw clothes in the washer, do you sit there idly waiting for the load to finish? I suppose you can, but while it's running, you could also be doing a host of other tasks like managing your email, catching up on phone calls, or checking items off your to-do list. When tasks run on autopilot, you can get multiple tasks done simultaneously. 

In the same manner imagine you're working on a project that involves compiling a report based on data analysis. While waiting for the analysis software to process a large dataset, which requires minimal supervision once started, you can effectively multitask by responding to emails, preparing meeting notes, organising your desk. 

 

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Choose Work that Challenges You

Research finds that people are happiest when engaged in difficult-but-doable activities. Individuals become so absorbed in their tasks that time seems to stand still for them. It’s easy to drift away from real work in the rush to empty the inbox, but you can get back on track. Instead of being passive and doing what someone else told you to do, actively look at your work and ask “What would I really like to do?” With a little creativity, over time, you can turn the job you have into the job you want.

Moreover, selecting work that challenges you not only enhances job satisfaction but also fosters personal growth and professional development. When you actively seek out tasks that push your limits and require you to stretch your skills, you build resilience and expertise. This proactive approach can lead to greater recognition within your organisation as you demonstrate initiative and a willingness to tackle difficult projects. 

 

Related story: Ways To Tame Stress And Make it Empower You

 

Honour your Commitments and Deadlines 

Do you ever say you’re going to do something and then “I’ll do it later” becomes never getting around to it? If you’re like most people, you do this in small ways throughout your life and while often unintentional—it comes at a surprisingly significant cost.

• You put an item on your daily to-do list and don’t complete it.
• You commit to doing something for someone else and don’t follow through.
• You set specific milestones or deadlines for completing phases of a project, but due to procrastination or unforeseen delays, you consistently miss these deadlines.

All of this might seem harmless when done once or twice. But little things done repeatedly have a big impact on our lives. Every time you don’t honour a commitment that you’ve made to yourself or someone else, it’s a message to your subconscious mind and to the superiors, colleagues and team around you that what you say can’t be trusted, that your word doesn’t mean much. It prevents you from achieving your goals and eventually causes people not to trust you with any important delegation of tasks or deliverables. Also, start by honouring the commitments you’ve made to yourself. If you can honour the commitments you’ve made to yourself it will be much easier to honour the commitments that you’ve made to your superiors or your team.

 

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Be Receptive to Feedback 

Being receptive means you have to actively listen to input from colleagues, supervisors, and even clients. Use that feedback constructively to improve performance and outcomes. One key aspect of being receptive to feedback is maintaining an open mindset. This means being willing to accept criticism without defensiveness and understanding that feedback, even if critical, is often intended to help you excel in your role. It's important to approach feedback with a positive attitude, viewing it as an opportunity to learn and develop skills rather than as a personal attack.

Approach feedback by proactively seeking it from colleagues and supervisors, especially after completing projects or tasks. For instance, after presenting a proposal recently, ask your team for feedback on both the content and delivery. Their insights can help you refine the proposal further and enhance your presentation skills for future meetings

 

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