Strategies for Working Smart to Achieve Professional Success

We're all too busy at work…but we don't need to be. 7 ways to work smarter, not harder: 1/ Frontload your day: Put your most important tasks at the beginning of your day. You'll have more energy to tackle them early on before distractions pop up. Write down your top 3 tasks each day and do them. No excuses. 2/ Set shorter deadlines: Parkinson's Law says that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. If you're about to start a month-long project, ask yourself: "What does the 2-week version look like?" Shorter deadlines force you to focus on what matters. 3/ Track your time: Spend a week tracking your time. Record everything. At the end of 1 week, you'll likely find that you spend more time than you realize on specific activities. Adjust accordingly. 4/ Batch tasks together: Block out some time and blast through repetitive tasks such as: • Responding to emails • Checking slack • Pulling metrics You'll get into a groove and get through them faster. 5/ Do what gives you energy: At the end of your week, look back at the projects you worked on. Identify what tasks gave you energy and which tasks sucked. Figure out a way to delegate tasks that don't give you energy. Speaking of delegating... 6/ Delegate more: Delegating gives you more time to focus on the most important tasks. Try out the Eisenhower Matrix for decision-making: High urgency + High importance = DO NOW Low urgency + High importance = SCHEDULE High urgency + Low importance = DELEGATE Low urgency + Low importance = DELETE 7/ Take more breaks: This is counter-intuitive but works. If you go too long without a break, you will eventually get tired and make mistakes. Try the Pomodoro Technique: Focused work for 25 min. Then take a 5 min break. Repeat. --- These tips have worked for me. I hope they work for you too! Let me know if there are any good tips that I've missed 👇

*** Work Smart, Not Hard *** The Cognitive Upgrade Working smart is about leveraging: doing more with less using insight, focus, and foresight. • Mental Models: Smart work relies on frameworks like Pareto’s Principle (80/20 rule), opportunity cost, and second-order thinking to prioritize and solve problems efficiently. • Decision Quality: Instead of rushing to act, “smart” workers slow down to make better initial decisions, saving time correcting mistakes later. Systems Over Sweat You can build systems that handle complexity so you don’t have to muscle through it every time. • Templates & SOPs: Reusable formats and step-by-step guides reduce cognitive load. • Automation & Tools: From scheduling apps to coding macros, tech becomes your scalable assistant. • Feedback Loops: Smart workers adjust course quickly by embedding mechanisms to reflect and refine. Effort Isn’t the Metric Culturally, we often equate effort with value, but smarter work shifts the focus to impact. • Asynchronous Workflows: Minimizing bottlenecks by reducing dependency on others’ schedules. • Outcome-Based Goals: Defining success in terms of results rather than hours logged or tasks completed. The Mindset This isn’t laziness. It’s mastery. • Curiosity > Compliance: Smart workers constantly ask why, not just how. • Rest as Strategy: Recovery improves decision-making, creativity, and problem-solving, critical to brilliant execution. • Saying “No”: A hard choice upfront often prevents wasted effort down the line. --- B. Noted

You do not have to be the smartest person in the room to be a top performer. Here is the recipe for success: 🥘 I’ve become a top performer in every professional environment I’ve worked in, and it’s not from raw intellect. It is down to 12 essential behaviors - here’s how you can show them: 1/ Get Things Done ↳ Focus on your most important 1-2 tasks each day. ↳ At the end of each day, look at your output. Ask yourself, how much did you get done? Repeat. 2/ Listen Before Speaking ↳ After someone speaks, check you understand what they meant before responding. ↳ People will like you more for it and there will be less miscommunication. 3/ Take Accountability ↳ When you make a mistake, own it. “That was my mistake, I’m sorry” ↳ Then discuss what you learnt from it and what you’ll do differently next time. 4/ Build Relationships with your Colleagues ↳ You will annoy your colleagues at times. Build up goodwill with them by taking an interest in their personal lives. ↳ Make them laugh. Grab coffee. You’re spending more than 50% of your life with these people. 5/ Be Solution Oriented ↳ Don't come to your manager with problems. ↳ Come with your proposed solution and let them react (it makes their life easier). 6/ Think Team Before “Me” ↳ Put the team's goals first. You'll get credit for it. ↳ Help your colleagues. Mentor others. 7/ Manage Upwards ↳ If you are busy, your manager should know. The key is to communicate without sounding complainy. 8/ Show High Integrity ↳ Set the standard for behavior among your colleagues. You will stand out as a leader before you are one. 9/ Be Open Minded ↳ Be willing to change your mind with new information. 10/ Show Humility ↳ Give credit generously to others. ↳ Be willing to be wrong, change your mind, and take feedback. 11/ Love Upskilling ↳ Learn new skills (e.g. using AI) to make you better at your job. ↳ Take online courses to improve your strengths and mitigate weaknesses. 12/ Communicate with Radical Candor ↳ Don't shy away from difficult conversations. ↳ Ask for and give feedback regularly. Be direct and kind. Focus feedback on actions and the consequences. Use these simple behavioral changes to become a world-class performer and level up your career. --- ♻️ Repost this to help your network become top performers. 📌 Want a high-resolution PDF of this? 1. Just follow me Will McTighe 2. Sign up for my free Level Up Community at https://lnkd.in/gKzZUq-b

You won't become successful by (just) working hard. “The harder I work the luckier I get” (Samuel Goldwyn’s famous quote) is a terrific ethic except it’s incomplete. These days, you have to work 'smart' as well. Why? Because working 'hard' is purely expending energy. Working 'smart' is: → Optimizing your time → Maximizing the return on your energy → Reinvesting in your own recovery I’ve been working since age 14 (about 4 decades). Here are 9 lessons I've learned about working smart: 1. Work with people who want to work with you (and vice versa) → Do everything you can to work with people you like (and like you) → Litmus test: would you enjoy sharing a casual meal with the person? 2. Don’t negotiate your compensation → Work with people who value you (the best clients will) → If someone's haggling price, they've already told you you're not worth it 3. Don't ignore getting paid → There's a big difference between 'income' and 'cash' → Income looks nice on a P&L; cash is what actually keeps you in business 4. Set up boundaries → New job or project? Get crystal clear alignment on expectations → Like to workout at noon each day? Convey your non-negotiable up front 5. Establish a comms protocol → What’s your preferred method of communicating? Text? WhatsApp? → Get this plan in place up front so no one is frustrated (especially you) 6. Look for red flags! → This applies to new clients, new jobs, even volunteer gigs → A red flag is a warning that your experience will only get worse 7. Delegate 'lower return' tasks → Hire a VA @ $20 an hour to manage your schedule if you charge $50 / hour → Look for opportunities to earn a margin on every hour of your time 8. Set up systems → Automation will dramatically improve your work life → Calendars apps, email rules, and the like free you up to maximize your time 9. Foster positive work 'karma' → When I hire someone, I flip my role and become the best client → Do that and you'll attract the same in return Pic: Clearest job description I've ever enjoyed → volunteer firefighter ______________________ I'm Marc Cabrera, a Wall Street deal maker. Follow me for hard won wisdom on finance and fitness.

"If I just work a few more hours..." "Maybe I should skip lunch today..." "I'll sleep when I'm done..." Sound familiar? These were the thoughts running through my client's head before burnout hit. 🚩 As a high achiever, they fell into the classic trap: Measuring their value by hours worked, not impact made. Here's what I tell my overwhelmed clients 👇 1. Energy Management > Time Management 🔋 • Your peak hours are worth 5x your tired hours • Block your best 2 hours for critical thinking • Save admin work for energy dips 2. Strategic Laziness Wins 🎯 • Automate repeated tasks • Template common responses • Build systems, not to-do lists • Ask: "Does this need to be done at all?" 3. Focus on Impact Metrics 📊 • Replace "hours worked" with "problems solved" • Track outcomes, not activity • Cut meetings that don't drive decisions 4. Recovery is Productivity 🔄 • Short breaks boost problem-solving by 42% • "Always on" = always underperforming • Rest is not a reward - it's a requirement The truth? Working harder is amateur advice. Working smarter is what professionals do. What's your best "work smarter" hack? Share below 👇 --- 🔔 Follow Sharon Grossman for more leadership strategies that actually work ♻️ Share this to help your network work smarter, not harder

🚀 Career Acceleration Insights By age 35, I had climbed the corporate ladder and doubled my salary in less than 5 years. The journey was filled with invaluable lessons, but there's one piece of advice that outshines the rest, crucial for anyone looking to advance their career, especially in the dynamic field of technology and marketing. ✅ Here's the golden nugget of advice: Identify and Focus on Key Business Metrics: The secret lies in pinpointing the metric that is most valuable to the business. Once identified, channel your efforts to move this metric significantly. This approach transcends beyond mere numbers; it's about aligning your contributions with the company's core objectives. ✅ What to Avoid: - Don't let workplace politics distract you. - The size of your team or the scope of your responsibilities should not be your primary concern. - Steer clear from getting entangled in unnecessary workplace drama. ✅ What to Embrace: Be relentless in your focus on the crucial business metric, whether it's related to revenue, growth, or any other key area. 💡Demonstrate how your work directly contributes to moving this metric forward. Make it the centerpiece of your discussions and reports. This strategy is particularly potent for those early in their careers or operating within growth-oriented roles. It's not just about working hard but working smart—targeting your efforts where they'll make the most tangible impact. Leverage this approach, and watch as doors open and opportunities unfold in ways you might never have imagined. #CareerAdvice #BusinessGrowth #ProfessionalDevelopment #TechIndustry #thejessemercado

As my oldest wraps up high school and looks ahead to what's next, and as I reflect on that same period in my own past, I've been considering how to put into context what it will take for him to succeed in his future endeavors. And I believe one of the most important factors is 'putting in the work'. The laws of the natural world are often much more broadly applicable than we give them credit for, and in thinking about my lessons in physics I was reminded of the formula for Power. In physics, Power is defined as Work done over Time (Power = Work/Time). This simple formula holds a profound lesson for our careers and personal endeavors. 🌟 In the context of career growth, 'Power' can be seen as our ability to achieve success and make an impact. ⚒ 'Work' represents our efforts, skills, and dedication. ⏳ 'Time' is constant, an unchangeable factor in our lives. 🌍 Time is the great equalizer. We all have the same 24 hours in a day. No matter who you are, where you're from, or what you do, this variable remains fixed. Truly accepting this is a critical factor in learning how to maximize potential. We can't control time, but we can control how we use it. ✨ The only variable in our control is Work. By focusing on what we can do, the amount of effort we apply, and how we can improve, we hold the key to our 'power.' By maximizing Work, we maximize Power. But Work does not equal Power - we must work efficiently to truly realize the most potential. How? - Focused Efforts: Direct your energy to meaningful and impactful activities. Find things that you love and enthusiastically pour your heart into them. - Skill Enhancement: Continuously learn and improve your skills. You can never be too good at what you do. - Smart Work: Work smarter, not just harder, by leveraging tools, networks, and knowledge gained from experience. - Resilience: Bounce back from setbacks, using them as stepping stones. Everyone fails, and many of our greatest lessons come from failure. "Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard." What nuggets of wisdom would you share that have been impactful for you in your journey?

I decided to start the week with this. I’ve discovered that for experienced professionals, some things seem like platitudes. But for folks who are still feeling their way through their career, and “adulting" the right type of guidance helps. You feel overwhelmed at work & are not doing tasks you like. Unmotivated & frustrated, you're uncertain if you should quit, pursue a master’s program, or start your own business. But even that is confusing! Sounds familiar? Here is how I recommend you get out of that rut. 1) 𝐄𝐦𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: It's okay not knowing everything. The key is to embrace learning & keep growing each day. Accept that it's fine to make mistakes, provided you learn from them. It's part of the learning curve. 2) 𝐒𝐞𝐭 𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐓 𝐆𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬: SMART= specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time bound. Instead of saying, "I want to get better at my job," say, "I want to improve my sales numbers by X% in Q3." This gives you a clear target and a way to measure your progress. 3) 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐮𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐞 Y𝐨𝐮𝐫 G𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬: Have clear, tangible goals and visualize them daily. They serve as your signal in times of uncertainty and remind you what your targets are. 4) 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞: While motivation is a can aid action, it fluctuates. Discipline, on the other hand, keeps you going even when motivation wanes. Discipline is committing to your goals and working towards them, 5) 𝐀𝐜𝐭!: Instead of waiting for the perfect plan, take action based on the information you have. Be willing to adjust your approach as you gain new insights, moving closer to your goals with each step forward. 6) 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐟𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤: Seek constructive feedback from colleagues, mentors, or supervisors. This can give you insight into areas where you can improve. Remember, feedback is not a criticism of you as a person but a tool to help you improve. 7) 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐂𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬: Maintain a sense of curiosity about your work and field. This can lead to a deeper understanding and open new avenues for growth. Ask questions, do research, & always strive to know more. 8) 𝐍𝐞𝐭𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤: Building relationships can be beneficial. You can learn from experiences, get advice, & discover opportunities you would not have otherwise found. Don't be afraid to connect with others. 9) 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟-𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧: Everyone has days they feel inadequate. It's part of being human. Instead of feeling bad about yourself, approach these situations objectively. 10) 𝐁𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞: Work is important, but so is the rest of your life. Ensure you have work-life balance. This prevents burnout & keeps you from getting overwhelmed. Relax. Spend time with loved ones. Remember, personal & professional development is a continuous journey of growth and self-discovery. Embrace the process, stay resilient, & enjoy the fulfillment that comes from progress and achievement. Have a great week. Davidson