We all have the same number of hours in the day – but often, it seems like there are never enough!

Many professionals say they want to “work smarter, not harder” to make the most use of their time. This is often easier said than done. However, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t a few work hacks to help you step up your game.

We’ve picked our top work hacks for busy professionals to help you save time, let go of distractions and get more work done.

While we can’t promise that you’ll have a miraculous amount of time appear, you’ll at least find that a few of the strategies can help you simplify the way you work and increase your productivity.

Work Hack #1 Do your daily personal development on-the-go

How long do you spend on a train or in the car commuting to and from work every day? Perhaps an hour each way? So, two hours per day times by 5 days… that’s 10 hours per week!

Instead of listening to music or talkback radio, you can use your time effectively by listening to podcasts. Podcasts aren’t only great entertainment, but they can also be educational. There’s an extra 10 hours of learning and personal development each week; priceless!

There are many top-quality podcasts available covering topics such as News & Politics, Business & Tech, Lifestyle and Health. The time you’d normally spend on your daily commute can now be used to clear your mind, grow as a person and help you prepare for your next business idea.

You can listen to podcasts on your iPhone using the “Podcasts” app, on your Android using the “Google Podcasts” app, and on Spotify.

Our top three picks are:

- The Quicky: A daily podcast that showcases top news stories happening in the world.

- TEDTalks Daily: every weekday, it’s the audio version of TED Talks.

- StartUp Creative: If you’re building your empire, StartUp Creative brings creative entrepreneurs together to share their experience and tips with you.

Work Hack #2 Enable “Do Not Disturb” mode during the daytime

Being constantly inundated with notifications of emails, social media updates and calendar alerts is one of the biggest distractions for busy professionals.

Thankfully, there’s a simple solution. With just one touch in your settings, you can enjoy a ping-free world. Put your phone on “Do Not Disturb” mode and dedicate your time to focus on the work you need to get done.

Don’t worry, the notifications will still be there, but they’ll be out of mind until you decide to check them.

Work Hack #3 Plan your work outfit and dress for success

While putting together your work outfit might feel like a simple task, it can often leave people feeling frazzled and rushed in the morning – which isn’t a great way to start the day. Why not save time and stress by prepping your outfit in advance as part of your routine?

Pull together your best work attire by using a fashion app such as Mode-Relier, Pureple or Stylebook.

You’ll be able to plan your outfits in advance with clothes you already have (and future purchases that you’re considering). Investing in forward thinking means you’ll always look your best and save time as well as stress in the process – it’s a no brainer!

Work Hack #4 Stop browsing distracting websites

If you often find yourself getting distracted by the web and social media, you can opt to block the internet for set periods of time and focus on your work.

While the main operating systems (Windows, macOS, iOS) don’t offer website blocking functions, they do offer parental controls that you can enable and use for yourself. There are also Chrome extensions like StayFocused that you can use to limit the time you spend scrolling up and down websites’ pages.

Work Hack #5 Improve your writing skills pronto

Have you ever completed a great piece of work and then, noticed a typo only seconds after you sent it out? Yeah, it’s not a great feeling. That’s where Grammarly comes into play!

Grammarly is an effective tool for proofreading and it’s the easiest step you can take to improve your professional writing skills. As both a website and browser extension, it scans through your documents, emails and social media posts to identify any mistakes and prompts you to make changes to improve your work. Not only does it check for spelling errors, but it also corrects grammatical and punctuation errors.

And best of all, it’s free!

There you have it; our top work hacks for busy professionals. What are yours?