We’ve heard all the talk about working hard and fighting your way to the top. It’s what drives many to put in such long hours, starting at or before sunrise and toiling well into the night.

But will working harder really take you where you want to go?

If we’re working hard all of the time might we be doing something wrong?

The old adage of work smarter, not harder comes to mind. Seems such a simple adjustment, one has to wonder why many continue to work harder than necessary.

I know for me, it took quite some time to realize I was working harder than I really needed to. I grew up as an energetic multi-tasker, working from the age of 14 so for decades I thought this was the road to great success. Sure, I’ve done well in life but for a long time I failed to work as smart as I could have.

Instead of just working hard for the sake of showing that you’re a go-getter with a great work ethic, work with a finely tuned purpose. Work smarter than most others by using a plan.

Here’s how.

Analyze Everything

With the idea of keeping as much off of your plate as possible, analyze all aspects of any project or task to fully understand what needs to be done and the amount of time required to complete it. Break everything down into smaller tasks when possible.

Make a list of things you need to acquire and get them before you begin. Doing this decreases the chance of overlooking something important.

Outline a plan

After analyzing each task, place it on your outline so that this creates something you can follow to completion without overlooking any of the steps. As you complete each one, check it off and move to the next.

There are times when what needs to be done is straight forward and simple, while other times a plan is the better approach. Getting into the habit of following plans will make the tasks clear and raise your level of productivity.

Follow the Plan

After analyzing and creating your plan, simply follow it to completion, step by step. If along the way you find that something was somehow left out of the plan, insert it in the proper place, execute that step and get back on course.

Conclusion

This is so simple that even I can do it.

There will be times when the task at hand is but a few steps and you can simply go ahead and get things done. For more complicated tasks, making a plan like this has allowed me to effectively accomplish what I set out to do without wondering if I’ve missed something. Do all the analyzing and thinking up front, then get after it.

Are you using any sort of productivity plan?

Please share your thoughts below.

Stay Productive!