Do you feel you have been working harder but not accomplishing much? Working on something too hard that doesn’t have a real impact? Wanting more hours for the day to finish a work? Do you feel frustrated or stressed working hard? If you feel the same then we are on the same boat. With the current financial crisis most companies are reducing their workforce, those retained find themselves doing more work and working harder. There has been an increase in time management training for people to work smarter rather than working harder, more tasks are finished rather than burning out and stressing their employees to the additional work load.

Here are some techniques, tips and ideas I compiled from different resources for time management and for working smarter, I would try to incorporate these techniques throughout my work and stick to an optimum work habit that suits me . It is not actually a hard thing to do, it is more like building a habit. This could not apply to everyone for there are some who are really into the details and would eventually lead to more work for them.

1. Effectiveness, aim for effectiveness on the tasks or project given to you, you can work out the neatness later depending on the need. As aiming for neatness itself can eat lots of your time.

2. Build a schedule and segregate the task, allocate specific time for each tasks and enjoy, allocate time to get updated with current events, time to take a break, break down tasks like time for research, planning, coding, designing, troubleshooting etc.

3. Organize, put specific files in one area, like files for your computer, take a little effort to organize your files, trust me it would save you tons of effort later. Put books, supplies, materials and resources in the same area, when you need them you know where to find them. File the paper accordingly, incoming tasks, outgoing task, put them in folders and stack them accordingly.

4. Use a reminder software or an organizer for events, meetings, deadlines, vacation etc.

5. Finish a certain amount of work on one task before jumping into another tasks. Make a note or reminder on what tasks you have stopped on, so you can continue with it without too much effort on retracing your steps.

7. Information overload, when you try to learn alot in a short period of time, you end up with too many ideas that you drift away from the original task. Instead learn one topic in a steady pace, finish one before jumping into another topic.

8. If you find yourself working on a routinary tasks that doesn’t have significant impact or meaning on the overall project. Stop, may just might be wasting time. Have that routine work re-evaluated to something more meaningful.

9 . Adapt to changes and technology, you may find that one tasks you have been doing manually can be automated. No need to keep doing something manual over and over again when it can be automated. Learn and use technology to your advantage.

10. Take some of the ideas, tips and techniques above and find yourself an optimum work habit out of it.

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Among the many aspects discussed was their discovery of the hedgehog concept.  The research team members found out that all good to great companies attained a very simple concept that they used as a frame of reference for their decisions and actions.  But to describe it simply as simple is not the idea.  The hedgehog concept, despite its simplicity, originated from ones perception of the three circles. 

The three circles require us to answer three very important questions:
Circle 1: What you can be the best in the world at.
Circle 2: What drives your economic engine.
Circle 3: What are you deeply passionate about.

The point at which the three circles interlock is the hedgehog concept.  The book mentioned this analogy to help us understand the hedgehog concept.

Suppose we are employed in a work that meets the three requirements mentioned in the circles.  For example, you are naturally endowed with singing abilities.  Because you feel like you can be one of the best singers in the world (Circle 1), you pursue this calling.  You eventually become a world-class performer enabling you to amass great wealth and fortune from your career (Circle 2).  Your unwavering passion for singing (Circle 3) sustains your drive to be the best in this line.  Upon realizing your three circles, your hedgehog concept can be: To build a one-of-a kind singing school.
In effect, once we are able to ascertain what our three circles are, we can start determining what our hedgehog concept can be.  It should be a simple idea that uniquely addresses the conditions of the three circles.  Otherwise, you will not be able to sustain it.  For example, you are earning a lot of money doing things that you are not really the best at (Circle 2).  Later on, you will see yourself being overtaken by other more qualified and better individuals.  Or say, you are in a career where you seem to be the best and are therefore earning a lot (Circle 1 and 2).  However, you are not 100% passionate about it.  In this scenario, you might be successful but still not able to sustain success in the coming years.

This concept initially catered to companies who wish to be great.  However, I see its vast significance in our own personal lives and out attempts to attain greatness- with the financial aspect only belonging to one side of the coin. If we really want to be great- financially, personally, and professionally, let us seek the answers to these three circles.  We would hopefully arrive at a very simple idea that could be the key to our holistic success.

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Some time while pursuing a path or goal, along the way you may lose motivation, you may find yourself not wanting to do anything or give up on your plans and just sit back, take it easy again and go back to your old habit. This event in our lives is normal, this is what differentiates the person who wants to be successful and those that who would prefer to retain their status quo without improvement.

During this point you need to find and seek motivation. So what can you do when you find yourself not wanting to do anything? There are lots of techniques and strategies. For me I motivate myself by writing and keep on breaking down on my goals to smaller pieces.

Here are few more other strategies that can be useful to get yourself going even when you don’t feel like it.

1. Evaluate yourself. Have you been working too hard? Night and day. With this in mind be honest to yourself, if you been working too hard, you might be burned-out and this can loose your motivation. Give your body a break and let it regenerate after that you will feel refresh.

2. Are you not motivated enough? Check what your goals are, could be that your goal are not too realistic, too broad, too long or is impossible for you achieve. You may not be that motivated if your goals are unattainable. Analyze your goals and break them down to smaller pieces. When they are broken down into smaller pieces, start with one piece at a time and soon you wouldn’t notice that you have already achieved a big part when all the small pieces are put together.

4. Rewarding yourself, if you achieved one of your goals give yourself a simple reward, could be food yourself like treating yourself for a steak or go out have a little fun.

Simple strategies that works.

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