Work Smarter, Not Harder
“I choose a lazy person to do a hard job, because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”
A quote attributed to Bill Gates
In our fast-paced world, efficiency is key, and we wouldn’t have achieved it without advancing technologies. While I wouldn’t describe myself as lazy—let’s be honest, we all have those days when motivation wanes—I’ve often embraced a “lazy” mindset. I get bored with routine and repetitive tasks, especially those tied to administration, which are prone to human error without a monitoring system in place.
I prefer to rely on available technologies to work smarter rather than harder. This approach not only decreases my workload but also minimizes errors and ensures greater confidence in the accuracy of our work. Investing time in technology can initially seem time-consuming, but the long-term benefits are substantial. For instance, automating a simple task may take more time upfront but significantly reduces time and errors later. Here’s how I make it work.
Learning MS Excel
MS Excel is my trusty sidekick (and for those who know me, I’m sure I sound like a broken record!). When it comes to automation, Excel is my go-to tool. With its macros, conditional formatting, and functions, Excel helps me improve data entry processes, monitor work, and keep records up-to-date. Even though we’re an accounting company with Excel pros on the team, I’ve found it invaluable for managing recruitment records as well, ensuring GDPR compliance, and monitoring employee details. Conditional formatting highlights cells based on set conditions, while macros automate repetitive formatting tasks. If you like having Excel sheets that are nice and tidy, but you hate repetitive formatting, Google “How to use Excel Marcos” and thank me later. This is one of the easiest tools that you can use, and you will regret not knowing about it sooner. By automating repetitive tasks and organizing data effectively, we have reduced the frequency of human error; and having pretty Excel sheets never hurt anyone.
ChatGPT – Our AI Colleague
In recruitment, creating vacancies, job descriptions, and writing lengthy emails is part of the job. ChatGPT helps us create engaging job postings and can adjust the tone to fit the occasion, whether more formal or funny. When inspiration is lacking, ChatGPT assists with brainstorming creative scripts and catchy titles for our new TikTok page (which you should definitely follow @ennesssemalta). If you’ve ever struggled with a long email that even you can’t decipher, ChatGPT can review it, suggest edits for clarity, and provide more powerful proofreading than MS Word. It also outperforms Google Translate by considering the context for accurate translations. And if you’re too “lazy” to figure out a tricky Excel formula, ChatGPT can help with that too. It’s becoming increasingly smart, though it’s wise to use it with a pinch of salt.
Using Notion for Better Collaboration
In our dynamic team environment, overlapping tasks can occur if everyone has separate to-do lists. To improve this, we’ve adopted Notion—an online tool that consolidates our tasks and tracks deadlines effectively. It helps keep everything organised and ensures nothing is forgotten, which is crucial when juggling multiple responsibilities between different team members.
Conclusion
Adopting a ‘lazy’ mindset—focused on smarter, more efficient solutions—has transformed my approach to work. By integrating innovative tools into our daily processes, we’ve not only boosted productivity but also unlocked greater creativity. While we still work hard, we prioritise working smart, proving that efficiency and innovation go hand in hand.
Written by Marie Liz Novikov Grima, edited by ChatGPT