Work and effective work are two completely different things, which is something that more and more employers are quickly coming to realize. Flexible work hours, or work hours that are completely replaced by deadlines might seem a bit too innovative for some people, yet, this is the embodiment of what proper prioritization looks like. As an employee, it’s your job to learn how to give it your best and shine where it really matters. Here are five tips to help you do so.

Try tracking your time

The first thing you need to learn is how to recognize the difference between working and staring at the screen for 8 hours every day. With a proper time management software, you can easily track time you spend on your computer and diagnose exactly how much time you waste on social networks instead of working. Another method that you can try out is measuring results instead of measuring time spent on certain tasks. This way, you can focus on the metric that really matters, instead of basing your performance self-evaluation on the metric that makes you look good in the eyes of your employer.

Don’t skip breaks

One of the greatest mistakes that people make when in a rush to finish a task or a project is skipping breaks. In theory, this helps you gain half-an-hour or an hour each day but it makes you lose so much more. Keeping your focus at peak is only possible in intervals of 20-30 minutes, after which, your concentration starts diminishing. This means that not only should you take your regular breaks but also make minor 5-minutes long digressions every now and then; that’s the best way to get the most out of your work.

Try out performance enhancers

In 2018, there are supplements that are capable of enhancing your mental abilities and your performance. Yet, most of the public is either reluctant to try this out or unaware of this method altogether. Of course, different people react to these performance enhancers differently, but, it would be a shame to miss out on something that could make so much difference in your performance out of fear. Besides, looking into the best focus pills on the market won’t do any harm, and they just might give you the boost you need.

Make self-imposed deadlines

Some deadlines are just ridiculous for the amount of work that has to be done, while others tend to be completely opposite and give you far more time than you actually need to complete these tasks. Both of these trends can be quite harmful but in the latter scenario, there’s something you can do about it. Instead of wasting your time and allowing yourself to be lulled into the false sense of idleness, why not make self-imposed deadlines and, at least once, finish well ahead of time? You don’t even have to report that you’re done as soon as you end the project.

Abandon multitasking (when possible)

More and more employers value their employees’ ability to multitask. However, encouraging this trend may have negative consequences in the long-run. Sure, focusing on several things at once can be a good thing, but it is often better to focus on one task at a time, whenever such a thing is possible. This way, you’ll be less distracted and less likely to make an avoidable mistake. Moreover, switching between projects that are too dissimilar can contribute to your anxiety, which is a massive problem on its own. In some instances, multitasking was even known to contribute to one’s feeling of depression.

Conclusion

All of the five above-listed items are actionable, easy to enforce and give immediate results you can monitor and evaluate. Furthermore, all of these ideas are something you’ve probably already tried, to some degree, with moderate success. Once you start looking at them as techniques and assume a more systemic approach towards them, you might see an even greater effect.