Top 3 ways to improve your work performance (that I wish I’d learned sooner)

If you’d asked me a year ago how to improve work performance, I probably would have rattled off the usual suspects: work harder, attend more meetings, try to multitask better. But the reality, as I’ve learned through experience (and a few hard lessons), is that real improvement comes from working smarter, not just harder.

Here are the top 3 ways to improve work performance that truly made a difference for me.

Gaining clarity through context tracking

If there’s one universal truth about modern work, it’s this: we’re all drowning in information. Between emails, meetings, chat threads, and endless to-do lists, it’s easy to lose sight of what actually matters.

Most people don’t realize how much time they spend just trying to remember what happened yesterday, why a decision was made, or where that critical piece of feedback lives. This “context drift” is one of the biggest silent killers of productivity and a key area to improve at work for many professionals. 

Here’s some advice, no matter what tools you use:

• Capture as you go. Don’t rely on memory alone. Jot down decisions, key takeaways, and blockers as they happen, whether it’s in a notebook, a notes app, or a shared doc.

• Centralize your information. Scattered notes and siloed docs make it hard to see the big picture. Try to keep your work context in as few places as possible, so you can easily reference and connect the dots later.

• Review regularly. Set aside a few minutes at the end of each day or week to scan your notes and reflect on what’s moving forward, what’s stuck, and what needs your attention next. This habit alone can surface patterns and bottlenecks you’d otherwise miss.

• Make your context visible to others. If you’re working in a team, share your context – don’t hoard it. When everyone has access to the “why” behind decisions and the “what” behind progress, collaboration becomes smoother and misunderstandings drop dramatically

Luckily, there is no longer a need to manually capture and organize all this context. There are tools that do that for you. I use our own product, Pieces – it automatically tracks my work across docs, content plans, marketing campaigns, and conversations. 

Instead of scrambling to remember what I did last week or why I made a certain choice, I can instantly pull up a timeline of my decisions, blockers, and progress. 

This not only saves me hours every month, but it also gives me the confidence that nothing important will slip through the cracks.

So, while the advice above works for anyone, having a tool like Pieces takes it to the next level. It turns context tracking from a manual chore into an effortless, always-on advantage, helping me gain clarity, stay aligned, and focus on what really matters, and for bigger companies to save costs on context switching.

Reducing mental load by automating reporting

Once you have clarity and your context is captured, the next challenge is what to do with all that information. Traditionally, reporting on your work, whether for stand-ups, reviews, or status updates, means sifting through scattered notes and memories. This is where the mental load creeps in, and it’s one of the most overlooked ways to improve work performance. 

Some advice that’s stuck with me over the years:

• Batch your reporting.

• Keep a running log.

• Automate what you can.

• Don’t aim for perfection. 

The less mental energy you spend on reporting, the more you have for creative problem-solving, strategic thinking, and actual execution. Reducing this cognitive load is one of the most effective suggestions for improvement in the workplace and a proven way to improve performance at work. 

Before Pieces, I dreaded reporting cycles. I’d spend hours reconstructing my week, second-guessing what mattered, and worrying I’d forget something important. Now, when it’s time for a stand-up or a review, I just ask Pieces, “What did I accomplish this week?” and get a clear, data-driven narrative of my progress. 

This automation has freed up so much mental bandwidth that I can now focus on higher-impact work and personal growth, rather than administrative overhead.

You can try it yourself for free, just download Pieces, enable Long-Term Memory, and let it capture your workflow for a day or two. You’ll have full control over what’s recorded; you can easily block any apps, and all sensitive data stays securely on-device. 

Once it’s set up, try a few prompts to generate your workstream activity. You’ll see how quickly you can turn your real activity into a clear, ready-to-share update. 

This would be the second of the three ways to improve work performance that I wish I’d learned sooner.

Turning daily updates into personal insights

With context captured and reporting automated, you’re now in a position to do something truly powerful: reflect and grow. The real magic happens when you use your daily updates not just as a record, but as a mirror – helping you spot patterns, celebrate wins, and identify areas to improve at work. General advice:

• Look for patterns.

• Celebrate small wins.

• Identify growth areas.

• Share and seek feedback. 

Turning routine updates into actionable insights is the foundation of personal and professional growth. It’s how you move from just “doing the work” to understanding and how to improve the quality of work for employees – yourself included. 

At first, my daily updates felt like just another checkbox.

But once I started using Pieces, everything changed. The AI not only captured my updates but also analysed them, surfacing trends in my productivity, highlighting recurring blockers, and even suggesting areas for improvement. 

For example, I discovered that I was most productive in the mornings and that meetings were my biggest source of interruptions. With this data, I adjusted my schedule and advocated for fewer midday meetings. As a result, I saw noticeable improvements in both my output and my job satisfaction. Now, every update isn’t just a status report; it’s a mini case study in how I solve problems, collaborate, and grow. 

Pieces turns my daily routines into a personalized feedback loop, helping me continuously improve and align my work with my long-term goals. If you’re looking for suggestions for improvement in the workplace, start by making your daily updates work for you.

Final thoughts

Improving work performance isn’t about working longer hours or attending more meetings. For me, the real breakthroughs came from:

• Gaining clarity through context tracking

• Reducing mental load by automating reporting

• Turning daily updates into actionable personal insights. These aren’t just abstract ideas – they’re changes I made through experience, supported by the right tools and a willingness to reflect honestly on my workflow.

Start making your work visible, your reporting effortless, and growth intentional with Pieces!