How To Actually Do Less Stuff And Get More Done
Productivity is not about doing more work.
It’s not about turning gears faster in a gearbox.And it’s not about the hours you put in.
In fact, it’s just the opposite.
It’s about figuring out how to do less work.It’s about shifting gears to apply better leverage.It’s about reducing the time and resources required to get the job done by deadline.
2 Minute Action
Where do you spend 80% of your day or effort?What causes 80% of the headaches, pain points, or dollar drainage?If you can take 2 minutes to identify it, you can measure it.If you can measure it, you can alleviate it.Don’t try to fix everything at once, just focus on one big problem at a time.
How To See The Light At The End Of The Tunnel
You're working hard.You have your head down.You're doing all the right things.You're checking all the boxes.Nothing is happening.
Either one of two things is happening:
- You're missing something.
- It's coming.
If it's #1, you're probably going to need some help figuring it out. You may want to consult an expert or a mentor who has more context or insight into what you're doing and can help you see the light at the end of the tunnel.If it's #2, please remember this powerful line from the book Zen in The Art of Archery that reads something like:
"To the arrow about to take swift and purposeful flight, it must feel like nothing is happening."
2 Minute Action
If you're feeling like it's #1, reach out to colleague or mentor for a quick 15-minute conversation.If you're feeling like it's #2, take a deep breath, get back to it.It's now 2018 and the world is more connected than ever.You have everything you need to build something bigger than yourself that will help others.
The Easy Thing About Hard Things
It seems like whenever I ask someone about their new project they go off on this long list
We just finished the logo.We're talking to a lawyer about an LLC.We've got sights on new office space downtown . . .None of which matters.It just doesn't.All the time we spend working on the easy things is the time we're not spending on the hard stuff.
What's the difference between the hard stuff and the easy stuff?
The Easy Stuff:Building the software app.Figuring out how to ship from your warehouse to the distributer.Finding a better way to collect website analytics data.But wait! Writing code is hard! Why are you saying all of this is easy?Sure, we can all agree that these aren't easy problems to fix, but it's not the thing that will define your success.There are a million software startups. Building the software isn't hard. The hard part is getting your app to hit the top 4 in the App Store.There are million suppliers and distributers. Optimizing transport isn't hard. The hard part is getting desirable shelf space at Walmart or Target.There are a million ways to collect web traffic data. Finding the right analytics tool isn't hard. What's hard is realizing that you need to get on the phone (scary, I know) and listen to this painful thing called "customer feedback."Being your best depends on knowing the difference between the hard stuff and the easy stuff.
The easy thing about hard things is knowing which is which.
Once I tell you how to do it, you're going to slap yourself at how easy it is.The way to decide if something is hard or easy is to sense how scary it is.Usually, if you're afraid of it, it's hard. This is the reason so many of us focus on our Instagram "❤️'s" instead of reaching out to Instagram influencers to place product or offer our services. It's easy to hide behind the wall of photos. It's hard to reach out and connect to a real, live human who could reject us.It's these moments that we challenge our character and our willpower. It's these moments that define who we are and who we're becoming everyday.And the cool thing about it is that you don't have to make a huge announcement or public display to make this happen.It's all about small (but relentless) attention to the hard things.2 MINUTE ACTION:What's something hard you've been avoiding lately?Is there an email that you've been avoiding?Should you really just call your Mom back?How about those blog comments that you want to delete? How can you respond with empathy?