Growth Hack – Working smarter not harder…

You have probably heard the phrase “work smarter, not harder” and its most definitely true.

We do not deny that we all need a good work ethic, however, we personally are  consistently looking for ways to work smarter and as a student you should be doing the same thing! 

I want you to start thinking…

How could I start working smarter?

What systems could I put in place so that my workload becomes easier?

One example of a system is to set goals and then break them down into manageable tasks. We have created this framework for you within the Semester Student Planner.

Hypothetically, imagine you have an assignment due in 8 weeks’ time. One way to complete this would be to leave it last minute and put in a full day’s work in the library, rushing to get things done. A smarter way to work would be by dedicating yourself to write a number of words each week leading up to the deadline. This way you would minimise the pressure on yourself as the deadline looms closer and it would also protect your personal wellbeing. If you then created the time each week to focus on this writing, you will find yourself moving closer to the end goal each week. This is an example of working smarter.

Another example of working smarter includes reviewing your week. Included within the Semester Student Planner is the Stop, Start and Improve method.

What isn’t working for you? Einstein once said that insanity is said to be ‘doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results’

What if you took a small amount of time each week to review your week and see what needs to change. To see what could be improved. This is also an example of working smarter.

What if you started to take control of your time-management? And you started planning out your hours each day. What if you started planning your week and key tasks? These are all examples of working smarter and tools we try to teach you within the Semester Student Planner.

Such tools do not always mean you will get it perfectly right, but by making a conscious effort to work smarter rather than harder, you will find you can produce better work, with less stress, thus ensuring your wellbeing is at the forefront. This is what we want you to achieve.

Not only this, teaching yourself these tools is going to really help you when it comes to stepping away from being a student into your full-time careers.

Look at your personal studies and start thinking ‘how can I work a bit smarter’? If you put effort into this I guarantee you will find methods which make your life easier.