We’ve all heard the saying, “Work smarter, not harder,” but without practical examples, it can be difficult to know exactly how to work smarter.

When it comes to giving you tips on how to make the biggest impact without breaking a sweat, career coach Hannah Goefft is here to help.

“There is a middle ground between overwork and underperformance that people don’t really talk about,” Goefft said. “I like to call it ‘calculated ambition.’

She described the concept as “a way to use minimal effort to maximize career growth” and offered “a cheat sheet to help you build a successful career by relying on it only when it counts.”

According to a career coach, here are 13 ways to use “calculated ambition” to get ahead at work:

1. Learn to peacock

Goefft compared peacocking to humble bragging, which is essentially trying to impress someone without being too brash or overt.

He believes that employees should learn to persuade, if only “so that your management always knows what value you create.”

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Telling co-workers about your victories doesn’t necessarily come naturally to most people, especially women in the workplace, because we’ve been taught to be polite and blend in, even if it’s to our detriment.

Instead, Goefft recommends that employees shout from the rooftops about their successes, or at least mention them to their manager during one-on-one conversations.

This may seem a bit uncomfortable at first, but with practice you will begin to develop this skill, just like any other professional technique.

2. Always plan your activities so that your business priorities are clear

“If you can’t map your work to a clear business priority, talk to your manager about getting rid of that work — automate it, delegate it, or stop working on it altogether,” she said.

Locating essential tasks and reducing those that are unnecessary is a smart tactic that helps both you as an individual and the company as a whole.

Redundancy is the enemy of progress and productivity. Most corporations want to streamline their inputs to achieve the best performance, which simply means they want employees to devote their energy where it matters most.

3. Practice selective intensity

The most productive employees do not always make the greatest progress in their career development. Often, people who consistently work the hardest are passed over for promotions for seemingly less deserving co-workers.

Goefft admitted that a certain amount of high-octane productivity is needed to move forward. Still, she advised against constantly going full throttle.

“It may be hard to hear this, but career advancement doesn’t happen without going above and beyond, but it can only be done when you clearly see how it will help you,” Goefft said. “If you don’t, boundaries are your best friend.”

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Setting boundaries at work may seem uncomfortable, but it can significantly improve your relationship with work.

Michele Moliter, a coach who works with high-performing professionals, noted the value of setting boundaries in the workplace, saying, “Your boundaries help protect your time, talent, skills and abilities by helping you avoid being consumed by work and client challenges.”

Moliter described some common factors that keep people from setting boundaries, including perfectionism, people-pleasing, and fear of failure. She also shared specific strategies for creating boundaries, such as identifying core values ​​and expressing clear and consistent expectations.

4. Go to happy hour

Another aspect of Goefft’s ambition plan was to go to work-related social events when it suited you.

“Think about social events at work, such as making deposits at the bank,” she said. “The more you earn it when it’s easy, the easier it will be for you to withdraw it when you need to spend money.”

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Many corporate decisions are made outside of scheduled meetings, so in some ways, skipping drinks with co-workers isolates you from what’s really going on in your workplace.

5. Talk to management

Goefft detailed the reasons why it’s important to spend time with co-workers outside of work, noting that social capital can be built with senior management simply through simple conversation.

“When you’re at these social events, meet the executives face-to-face because the more you talk to them, the more you realize they’re not necessarily smarter or better than anyone else,” she said. “Maybe what they are has an impact on getting you where you want to go.”

6. Systematize

Another part of her methodology is implementing procedures that help simplify everyday tasks so that you can get more done overall.

“Set boundaries, use repeatable systems, automate (and) delegate,” Goefft advises. “Try to stop measuring your work in hours and focus on results instead.”

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7. Push your limits

In the next post, which continues her deep dive into calculated ambition, Goefft returned to the idea of ​​boundaries, explaining why it’s important to create wide margins around the boundaries themselves.

“Push your boundaries from the beginning so people are less likely to take advantage of them,” he advises. “If you have a deadline, add extra days to it. Don’t reach out every time you’re out of the office. Say no to a job you are not capable of.”

Once again, this practice can be stressful if you’re not used to it, but as with any professional skill, the more you do it, the better you will become.

8. Build a public CV via social media

Goefft recommends harnessing the power of algorithms to post about your work on social media, noting that not only do they do a good job of displaying content with cute puppies, but they also do a good job of “connecting professionals with people who want to hire people for those professional skills “. “

“Build your public CV by posting regularly about your work and let the algorithms do their thing,” she said.

9. Improve your communication

Being an effective communicator can reduce any friction with your co-workers, making your job easier. However, knowing that we need to work on our communication does not mean that we automatically know how to improve the skills to achieve it.

Communication expert Jessica Chen explained that the best communicators have two secret weapons when it comes to conversations.

“First of all, they ask really thoughtful questions,” she said. “Secondly, they are very good at appreciating the other person.”

“We have to remember that the best communicators think, ‘How can I engage the other side?’ How can I engage them in this conversation? It’s about asking thoughtful questions,” Chen continued. “Once the person answers that question, how can you make the other person feel like you actually heard what they said?”

Chen advises people to confirm, repeat and clarify what is said in conversations to show that they are actively listening and absorbing the information.

10. Oscillate in and out

According to Goefft, an important element of having calculated ambitions is knowing when to give 100% and when to back off.

“Starting a new job is a time to focus, work hard, establish your reputation as a high performer, and once you gain confidence, you can step back,” she said. “Focus on other things that elevate you, such as building your personal brand, upskilling and networking.”

11. Upskill to make more money.

She delved into the importance of upskilling, explaining, “Track the skills that pay the most in your job, and then spend time during your rest periods developing them.”

Upgrading your skills is a way to stay sharp, knowledgeable and irreplaceable.

12. Focus

Goefft quoted Alexandra Graham Bell who said, “The sun’s rays do not burn unless they are focused.”

“You’ll go further by setting goals that push you to grow and focusing on one thing at a time,” she explained, rather than focusing on multiple projects at once, which tends to produce mediocre results.

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13. Define your success

Her final piece of advice was to define what success means to you as an individual, rather than relying on the “traditional definition of corporate ladder climbing.”

“It could be a job or an industry, but it could also be the impact you want to make,” she said. “This may be a problem you want to solve. It can be a lifestyle. This is what is most important to you.”

As Goefft explained, we don’t necessarily have to give our all at work all the time, but we do need to know when we should give it our all and when we can sit back and breathe, all while producing. excellent results.

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Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango’s news and entertainment team. He deals with social issues, pop culture and everything related to the entertainment industry.