How to work efficiently

In my workplace, there are some urgent tasks. There are also routine tasks that can be stalled, if necessary. If I finish urgent tasks, I can catch my breath and rest for some time. The amount of urgent tasks is unpredictable, which bothers me; however, I can learn a lot and feel fulfilled when I accomplish those unpredictable but important jobs. In general, the workload involved in routine tasks is a lot greater than urgent tasks. I like this part because I can put off part of the routine tasks and have a flexible schedule. However, sooner or later, I have to do monotonous routine tasks, which can take a long time and be boring. I often lose focus and begin to doze off after one or two hours. I frequently debate with myself: "How can I keep focused and work efficiently?" After some time, I got four lessons.

Break large tasks down into smaller, manageable pieces
If there is a big project comprising one-hundred parts, I prefer to divide it into ten subsets and take a break between them. I applied this strategy to my routine work, and I was able to refresh before I lost focus. I felt a sense of progress each time and thought, "I knocked off the first chunk! Come on!" I used to feel overwhelmed when I was assigned to a job that requires significant time and effort. But then I'd still procrastinate as the finish line was barely visible. It was because the reward of completion seemed so far away for those jobs. It often felt like it was not even worth starting early. Now, I focus on small wins, and it boosts my morale and makes me work faster.

When you get bored, do other work
If your productivity begins to slow down when you're doing a tedious part of your project, sometimes doing other things is the best way to speed up your work. I used to be someone who always made a to-do list, so I tended to hold onto the idea of finishing a certain task in a day, even when I couldn't see any progress. I have wasted a lot of time this way. Recently, I did another task that interested me more when I felt stuck. When I returned to the unfinished work, I was able to resume with full focus and increased productivity.

Make a plan for your free time
There's a famous quote from the book, Parkinson's law: The Pursuit of Progress. "Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion." The amount of time people spend on a specific task depends on how much available time they have. If you don't give yourself a deadline to finish a task, you're likely to procrastinate and may end up lingering over the unfinished work till late. In my case, having a plan for the after-work hours turned out to be an effective way to enforce a time limit. No matter what my plan was, whether it was a date night, exercising at the gym, or writing a blog, it made me fully immersed in my work to beat the clock.

Boost your mood
Sometimes I wake up feeling lazy. I believe that everyone has days like that. My body sits at my desk, but my mind wanders somewhere else. Not only my work speed, but the quality of my work also begins to go down. I think that this is a matter of mood, so I made a playlist to make my mornings cheerful. I put many upbeat songs on the list. Even though it is not a permanent solution, it works. After listening to a few songs, I usually feel energized enough to get back to work.

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발음과 표현 정리
unpredictable / ˌən-pri-ˈdik-tə-bəl
monotonous / mə-ˈnä-tə-nəs /
project / ˈprä-ˌjekt / 프라젝트
progress / ˈprä-grəs / 프라그ㄹㅓ스
procrastinate / prə-ˈkra-stə-ˌnāt / 프러크래스터네잇
productivity / prō-dək-ˈti-və-tē / 프로우덕티비디
tedious / ˈtē-dē-əs / 티디어스

morale / mə-ˈral / 머랠
moral / ˈmȯr-əl / 모우럴

quote / ˈkwōt / 쿼우트
solution / sə-ˈlü-shən / 설루션

be stalled 지연되다
Discussions have once again stalled.
the workload involved in routine tasks 매일 반복적인 업무를 하는데 드는 업무량
hold onto the idea of ~하려는 생각에 매달리다
feel stuck 꼼짝 못하는 느낌을 받다. 진도가 나가지 않는 느낌을 받다.
after-work hours 퇴근 후의 시간
enforce a time limit 제한 시간을 지키도록 만들다.
beat the clock 시간 전에 마치다
wake up feeling lazy 축 처진채로 기상하다.