Do you work 40 hours a week or more and get less out of your life? Don’t fret. Almost everyone in the world does. You might not realize it yet but the only way to get more time to yourself and your family is by cutting your workload in half— or more. Here are life-changing tips that can help you break free from the 9 to 5 culture and accomplish more by doing less.
Declutter your Workspace
A messy desk can be a sign that you haven’t accomplished any MITs yet. It saps you of creative energy and leaves you unproductive because of the visual clutter it creates. Improve your work efficiency and expedite completion of tasks by clearing your desk of clutter. You’ll be surprised to learn how this simple step can save you from wasting large chunks of your time every day.
Focus on Three Big Rocks
Stop doing everything. Drop unnecessary activities that you do 40 hours a week and draw your attention to three important tasks (MITs) instead. People usually do one MIT for the day and achieve little by postponing or delaying other important tasks. When you focus on a maximum of three MITs and get them done within half of your usual work hours, you can spend half of your day out with your family.
Working With your Boss
Take note of the difference between working with and working for your boss. How can you leave the cubicle by noon if you’re a regular salaried worker without being fired by the end of the day? The era of hardworking professionals is nearing its end. Now is a great time to start working smart. Rather than slaving away for hours in the office to satisfy your boss, convince him/her to let you work outside for maximum productivity. It’s a daunting task to work on but it’s completely possible by carefully planning your pitch to your boss. Once you break free from the cubicle culture, focus on getting more tasks done with less time and expense.
Set Limits on your Work Hours
Most people work for 40 hours a week or more because others have decided on their working hours. You can only reduce your working hours by willing, planning, and implementing it yourself. When setting a limit, closely monitor your working hours every day. Gradually decrease the amount of time you spent on a task while maintaining the quality of your output. For a start, you can work for five hours straight between Mondays and Thursdays for a total of 20 hours of work every week. Focus on the ability of reducing your working hours until you achieve maximum productivity by doing less work.
Delegate and Outsource
Using virtual assistant services is the biggest approach to reducing your workload. You can’t be a one-man team even if you want to. Juggling two to three tasks is an ultimate time-waster as it gets you busy yet underperforming. Performing less well than expected would only lead you to repeating the same action every day without new result.
