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Working hard is what many people will tell you: “Work hard, and it will pay off.” But there’s nothing wrong with taking a few shortcuts that enable you to work smarter. Whether it be ideas to make your housework chores easier or achieve greater productivity at work, here are some tips that will allow you to do things easier:

1. Effortlessly clean the inside of your microwave: Zap a cup of vinegar in a microwave-safe open container for about 30-60 seconds to allow the steam to loosen any hardened bits of food (or use lemon slices in water if you don’t like the vinegar smell). Then just wipe.
2. Keep track of your professional accomplishments as they happen: Keep a log of your work history, responsibilities, and achievements by recording them at the end of each month. Then, if you need a resume, just edit it.
3. Use the 2-minute rule: Instead of putting everything on your to-do list, if it can be completed within 2 minutes, just do it immediately. You’ll be amazed at how much you get done.
4. Never hold a meeting without an agenda. By taking a few minutes upfront to plan and write out the agenda, you will avoid many long-winded discussions and circular conversations. Add duration times against each agenda entry to make it even more effective.
5. Use templates as much as possible. If you find yourself writing thank you letters, welcome emails, or any phrases repeatedly, save the text as a template to be copied and pasted into your next document. Why reinvent the wheel each time?

And don’t forget the obvious: get enough sleep, exercise, and hydration to really turbo-charge your spirit so that you wake up refreshed and alert each day. Yes, hard work pays off, but so can smart work, too!

Organize. Optimize. Profit.
Read more about Optimizing Workflow and Organizing Personal Spaces
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