In order to get anything done in the business world, you have to depend on others. Teamwork is as essential to an organization’s success as revenue is for a business. While values can inspire the spirit of how a team operates, habits ensure that goals are met faster than the team would otherwise.

Habits, however, require effort and focus, something that is often in short supply. Since Covid-19 hit, most teams and individuals are being stretched to the limit, and any extra time that was used to get to and from the office is now often spent on Zoom calls. What this shift calls for is something that may sound counterintuitive: Rather than working harder, individuals and teams need to start working smarter. That’s where habits are your friend.

Adopting new performance habits can transform how you work and how you leverage others on your team. Here are some powerful ones to begin now.

1. New Habit: Instead of saying yes, ask, “Is this the best use of my time?”

How often: Daily, weekly and monthly

When you’re working from home, you have more autonomy. This newfound autonomy probably felt odd at first, and maybe you just kept the same schedule as you would in the office. However, working from home is also an opportunity to take ownership of your energy and workday.

Rather than falling prey to the age-old rule that you have to say yes to get ahead, start thinking the opposite: Saying no doesn’t mean you don’t want to do the work; it means that you may not be the right or best person to do the work. Do an inventory of all the meetings you attend. Are they all essential? Is there someone else who can go on your behalf? Is attending them taking away time you need to think or plan for actual work? Start pausing before you say yes and thinking deeply about how you operate throughout the day and how you can leverage others on your team.