Dallas-based Amy Anderson is a former SUCCESS Editor and Emmy Award-winning writer.

The Endless To-Do List

Three Ways to Work Smarter

Your inbox is overflowing. You have three different to-do lists, including one on your mobile device. Not to mention the one in your head. Dread is creeping in and wrecking what used to be a job you were passionate about. It’s time to make some changes.

“Most of your dread doesn’t come from the work itself. It comes from how you think about the work,” says Jason Womack, a workplace performance expert, executive coach and author of Your Best Just Got Better: Work Smarter, Think Bigger, Make More . “The psychological weight of unfinished tasks and unmade decisions is huge. There is a constant feeling of pressure to do more with less. You can’t change that reality… but you can make peace with it.”

First, Womack says, you’ve got to accept that you are never going to get it all done. The to-do list is updated daily. Instead, try giving yourself the satisfaction of a job well-done with these work-smart tips:

Time blocking and prioritization. Look at your to-do list, figure out where you have blocks of time to act on those items and then prioritize. “I keep my defined ‘work’ actions to 15 to 30 minutes each,” Womack says. “These are the chunks of time I can use to stay focused, minimize interruptions and work effectively.”
Take technology shortcuts by setting up a Microsoft Office rule that sorts incoming emails to specific folders. Or keep your current projects in a cloud folder so they’re accessible on the go. If you don’t know how, ask someone who’s tech-savvy to help.
Figure out what distracts you. Identify what is blocking your ability to give all of your attention to what needs your attention. Is it the constant ding of emails? Mute the alert sound. Is it employees or colleagues who need “just a minute” of your time? Block off visitation hours. Once you know the triggers, you can begin to make subtle changes so that you wind up getting more done.

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Thanks, Success Magazine, for sharing some takeaways from the book. I immediately bought 5 copies of this issue and passed them out to: A client in New York City The hotel manager (in New York) The captain of the plane (who flew me to New York!) Then, I read the cover and wrote a bit more about 8 Ways to Work Smarter. I did this by referencing several other articles and authors from this issue. Here's a link to some ideas in three categories: http://www.womackcompany.com/successmagazine If there's anything I can add, please let me know! Have a "better" day, wherever you are.

I had been aware of the Pomodoro technique for a very long time but only started implementing it last time as I was introduced to a very cool iphone app. I must say that implementing this technique, has really help boosting my productivity. In its essence, it involves doing periods of 25 minutes of highly concentrated work, akin to a sprint in which you do as much as possible, followed by a period of 5 minutes rest when you do whatever you fancy. I actually take a 10 minutes break after each period of 25 minutes work, but it simply works. It would seem that it could work very well with the short defined actions which Jason is mentioning in his article.

Pascal, Jason actually writes about using 15 minutes as a good unit of time to get things done. I changed my outlook calendar over to show 15 minute increments and have started to get more things done. It is an awesome book so far. Highly recommended!