Most of us work hard. We go above and beyond the regular 40 hour work week because we want to move forward in business, but that extra time invested doesn’t mean results. This happens because we have ideas, we have what-ifs, we have vague inclinations about what success means, but we work aimlessly and tirelessly toward and end that hasn’t been defined. When you dedicate yourself to becoming focused and changing the way you function in your efforts, you don’t have to work harder because you are working smarter.

Write Your Goals Down

This is the first step toward working smarter and seeing the results you desire. On any given day, we could have a thousand goals floating about in our brains, but they don’t truly become tangible until we write them down. When they aren’t tangible, they can’t be reached. Seeing them on paper makes us more accountable for strategies and follow through than if we had simply allowed them to stay in the world of imagination. For any achievement to be accomplished, the vision needs to be known and shared by all.

Once clear goals have been set, it’s time to change the way that you work so all of that hard work doesn’t go to waste.

Change The Way You Work

This is where working smarter comes into play. Now that you have your goals in front of you, you must ask yourself how you will achieve them. You are likely to find that the processes you usually employ aren’t sufficient to achieve the end that you seek. Now is the time to change the way you work.

You will quickly realize that you don’t need to work longer hours foregoing time with family and pushing your other priorities aside to start realizing those goals for your business. Employ the SMART model to change the way you work:

• Specific – Be very specific about what you want to achieve.
• Measurable – Identify ways that you can measure your progress.
• Achievable – Decide who will be in charge of making this vision a reality.
• Results orientated – Be explicit in stating the results that can reasonably be reached.
• Time sensitive – Determine a time frame for accomplishing your goal.

The last one on this list may be the most important at this stage in the game as setting a time frame is essential for staying the course. Otherwise, it’s all too easy to get caught up in other areas of business, letting your goal slip away.

Make It Personal

It’s always necessary to remember how important your personal life is as well—never lose sight of that. Now that you have your priorities set at work and strategies in place for achieving your business goals, it’s time to turn your focus inward. Start setting realistic goals at home. Start small with with things like eating healthier or reading a new book once a week. These kinds of goals are realistic and achievable and can improve your personal well being so you can focus on working smarter when you get back to the office.