Work SmartrWe work hard so you can work smart.

When we are at the office, cleanliness and keeping our workstations are perhaps a good thing to do. For one thing, they say a messy workplace characterizes the type of work and output an employee can do. In a sense it is true. Just imagine not being able to fix up your stuff in an orderly fashion. It shows someone who is not focused and relies heavily on cramming and can be tagged as always looking for reports and files only when the boss needs them.

It doesn’t take much to maintain an organized working place. Add to the fact that a clean working station lessens the distractions of papers and folders scattered here and there. While some claim that leaving them like that makes it easier for them to find relevant data once asked for, it still remains that anyone can improve on them if and when they want to.

It is not likewise true that such a setup can make it easier for them to find the things needed once asked. People only say that because they are used to it. Observe people who do it and time it. Thought they will find the files and folders, it takes them quite some time to do so. In short, they are pretty much disorganized.

Nothing beats being organized and knowing how to properly file your documents for easy location. People feel that with an organized setup, they will have trouble in finding stuff. But if they get used to the idea of working in a more organized workstation, productivity may go up a notch since outside that of projecting a systematic and organized image, being aware of what to pull out and where they are is certainly something that can be an advantage to the people who are aiming high in their profession.

If you want good advice, look at the people in higher positions. Rarely would you see their stuff in disarray and they make sure that all papers, documents and office paraphernalia are in place. The neater you go, the more organized and motivated you can be in the office.

In this era of email and instant messaging, phone calls are still an integral part of business, especially for those whose work or business involve coordinating with counterparts in other companies thru the phone. Lifespy has some tips in effective business phone communication.

Basically, Alex advises us that:

Business phone calls should be according to a set schedule. If you feel like you just want to pick up your phone and dial your business partner’s number without looking at your watch or your calendar, think again.

Being in Asia myself, my phone has sometimes rung in the middle of the night, and the phone calls were from prospective clients, advertisers, and sometimes even colleagues who weren’t aware I was at the other side of the globe. But in most cases, my correspondents and I would agree on a good time to call or chat, be it on the phone, thru instant messaging, or even on Skype or some other VoIP client.

In short: be prepared, and be polite.

Time is something that is not always on the side of any employee or worker. While it depends on the nature of your job, chances are you will be having problems with deadlines once paper work starts piling up. And once you fail to meet these deadlines which are pertinent for departmental efficiency, chances are you will be bear the brunt of the blame for its incompetence.

But while this may be an issue that many would blame on being overworked, there are some people who always believe in “you can always continue tomorrow” or perhaps “the deadline is far off”. Rarely would you see people today finishing ahead of time when it comes to deadlines. They believe they have all the time in the world to kill.

Normally you would be given a week or two to compile and finish a report on something like sales reports or revenues for a certain period. Sounds easy to do but it is really getting the data that will bear the brunt of the job as well as formatting it in a way that will make your superior understand the current performance of your company for evaluation. Even the seasoned employees who are used to making reports should not take this task lightly. This is because they also have to review and make sure that everything reported is accurate since one wrong figure will be critical for the entire report.

Hence deadlines are given for workers to adjust. The last day is not the only thing important. It is how you manage your time. Do not be afraid to finish the report early since you need to review it before presenting it.

That is the whole essence of measuring efficiency. It is not about how fast you accomplish your work. It is about accuracy and making sure that you produce what the boss is asking from you.

We all want to prove a point as far as being successful in our careers but apparently most people these days forget one important thing, health. A person cannot go to work, be productive and last long in a profession if health is not taken care off. Apparently we all see that in most companies, annual physical exams are given not only as a privilege but to also make sure that a company’s labor force is healthy and free from potential health risks.

Overtime work or extending beyond the usual working hours is a common sight. But while your superior may acknowledge and praise you for your dedication to your work, you just have to consider as well by balancing diligence with work output. Of the two, efforts put into trying to achieve success in one aspect of work-related issues is commendable. But it can also mean incompetence since it may mean failure to meet deadlines as set beforehand. So in the end, you get a double black-eye, incompetence and poor health.

There are a lot of factors to consider if an employee is indeed suitable for a job. But there are also some thing to consider on an individual’s end such as:

1. Full understanding of the Job Scope
2. Ability to meet Deadlines
3. Output Capacity
4. Self-Discipline

Without a doubt the last one, self-discipline would depend on a person’s purpose in life. We can easily spot how dedicated and serious a person is through his lifestyle. A silent worker does not mean that he will not have a social life. Further, you also have to consider personal issues which may also affect performance.

In all, it boils down to being able to manage yourself as a worker and meeting the employer requirements. In the middle of it all, you have to stay healthy to survive it all. If not, you may just find yourself being among the people who are lacking to achieve anything both in personal and corporate drives.

One key note for aspiring career soldiers in the world today is that you may want to aim at the free training and seminars a company or client companies would offer you. Normally, such events would be for marketing and promotional purposes but just the same, the people they get to talk about certain topics such as networking or finance will be an added feather in your cap.

To most, it would seem boring. But at the end of the day, it is the certification and the new found knowledge that you get from them that is the most important thing. Hence, when you attend seminars, it would be best to keep an open mind. While some may sound familiar to you, don’t just try to play Mr. Wiseguy all of a sudden. There is more towards what they are trying to teach you.

As it is, careers are made through education. Earning a degree from college or even higher education in the form of a Masters degree is indeed impressive. But do remember that this is just one aspect of building your career. A career is nothing without hands on experience or shared knowledge from the people who have been there. These are the things you don’t usually solicit from standard education.

The point is, to work smart you have to think smart. To do so, you have to consider working with open ears. Knowledge is not something that is taken from a book. There are a lot of things you can get especially from the veteran employees you are working with. Just lend an ear and that can make a big difference in your career.