{"id":3483,"date":"2010-10-10T22:31:04","date_gmt":"2010-10-11T06:31:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/?p=3483"},"modified":"2013-08-23T10:08:43","modified_gmt":"2013-08-23T18:08:43","slug":"9-steps-to-work-less-and-do-more","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.pickthebrain.com\/blog\/9-steps-to-work-less-and-do-more\/","title":{"rendered":"9 Steps to Work Less and Do More"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Like most people, my life has been spent balancing my yearning for laziness\u2014tropical islands with fruit-flavored beverages figure heavily in my life goals\u2014with a burning desire to achieve great things, like invent a robotic Bumble Bee. The answer has been finding ways to achieve great things, using as little work as possible. Fortunately, there\u2019s ample room for finding ways to work less and get more done.<\/p>\n

Here are nine simple things I\u2019ve learned over the years about how to get results without working too hard. Indeed, there are nine steps because ten steps would be way <\/em>too much work). If you\u2019re still working towards your own tropical island paradise, I hope these put you speedily\u2014and lazily\u2014on your way.<\/p>\n

Step 1. Live on purpose.<\/strong> Stop occasionally and ask, \u201cWhy am I doing what I\u2019m doing?\u201d Make sure your tasks align with your higher-level goals. If you\u2019re emailing a friend, ask \u201cWhy?\u201d If you\u2019re doing it because you want connection, maybe picking up the phone is a better choice.<\/p>\n

Step 2: Stop procrastinating.<\/strong> Easy to say, hard to do. Get a procrastination buddy. Every couple of weeks, declare an \u201cAction day.\u201d Check in hourly for just 2-3 minutes. Make sure you\u2019re each making progress on what you\u2019ve been procrastinating. (I hold free action days, as well. You can sign up at http:\/\/www.SteverRobbins.com\/actiondays).<\/p>\n

Step 3: Conquer your technology.<\/strong> If you\u2019re reading this, you\u2019re probably as addicted to technology as I am. Divorce your technology! Turn off your PDA, and move your computer away from your main workspace. Don\u2019t think of your computer as a place to hang out; use it like a tool, for specific tasks. Get it out when you need it, and put it away when you\u2019re done.<\/p>\n

Step 4: Cultivate focus.<\/strong> Declare a part of your day (or a whole day) to be a focus time. Turn off email, unplug your phone, and close your office door. Then defer any non-life-threatening interruptions to a time after<\/em> your focus time.<\/p>\n

Step 5: Stay organized (mentally as well as physically).<\/strong> Organized doesn\u2019t mean neat; it just means that you know where things are when you need them. If you have piles of \u201cthis needs a home\u201d stuff in your office, stop and give it a home, even if that home is a pile somewhere. <\/em>Just make it official, so when you need it something, you know where it is.<\/p>\n

Step 6: Don\u2019t waste time.<\/strong> Re-making decisions is a hidden way we waste time. For repeated decisions, pre-decide by creating an \u201cAbsolute Yes\u201d list that spells out an automatic \u201cYes.\u201d For example, \u201cwe\u2019ll restock supplies with any pen that has a gel ink and .07mm tip will be suitable.\u201d When it\u2019s time to order supplies, you just grab the first pen that meets the specs.<\/p>\n

Step 7: Optimize!<\/strong> Re-examine how you work every now and then. Ask how you can improve your own work habits. If you notice your mind is clearer in the morning, schedule your deep-thought activities before noon. If you notice afternoon is best for you, make that<\/em> your prime time.<\/p>\n

Step 8: Build stronger relationships.<\/strong> Ask for help! When you\u2019re trying to reach a Huge Honkin\u2019 Goal, ask friends and colleagues for help. Build the relationship in advance, however, by being there for them starting today.<\/p>\n

Step 9: Leverage<\/strong>. Be on the lookout for ways to get big results from little work. If you can reuse content, create form letters that can be quickly customized, or help large numbers of people by doing work once that can be given to all of them, you\u2019ll be able to reap oversized results from a\u00a0 single effort.<\/p>\n

These nine steps are broad categories. You can implement each one in many different ways. You owe it to yourself to get the most out of the work you put in; notice how you do work, and use these principles\u2014and any others you know!\u2014to rearrange your life so you work less and do more.<\/p>\n

Stever Robbins (<\/em>http:\/\/www.SteverRobbins.com<\/em><\/a>) is a serial entrepreneur, the author of Get-it-Done Guy’s 9 Steps to Work Less and Do More (<\/em>http:\/\/www.WorkLessAndDoMore.com),<\/em><\/a> host of the #1 iTunes business podcast The Get-it-Done Guy, and an adjunct lecturer at Babson College. He is currently working on his 10th startup.<\/em><\/p>\n

Don’t Forget To Follow PickTheBrain on Twitter<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Related Articles:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

10 Secrets To Success<\/a><\/p>\n

The Language of Success<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Like most people, my life has been spent balancing my yearning for laziness\u2014tropical islands with fruit-flavored beverages figure heavily in my life goals\u2014with a burning desire to achieve great things, like invent a robotic Bumble Bee. The answer has been finding ways to achieve great things, using as little work as possible. 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