How To Work Less And Do More
I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.
Bill Gates
That’s a funny quote, and it seems like a joke when you first read it, right?
But there is a life changing grain of truth in it that can have a real impact on your life.
Many of us have been raised with the idea that hard work is virtuous and something to take pride in, so when we’re working hard we feel good about ourselves.
But isn’t it always the case that when we just keep working harder and harder, eventually it becomes unsustainable, and we all inevitably burn out? And we’re left thinking: “There has got to be a better way.”
This is where Bill Gates comes in. His quote is pointing to the idea that hard work with or without results isn’t better (or more virtuous) than easy work with results. Let me repeat that:
Hard work, with or without results, isn’t better than easy work with results.
He would prefer that someone work easily and more efficiently to get the job done, rather than work hard without accomplishing more.
So what does that mean for you?
You absolutely CAN do less and achieve more, but it isn’t about “laziness.” It’s about what you choose to value and put your energy towards.
Rule #1 Replace the “hard work” paradigm
Repattern your mindset to value results, and value enjoying your life rather than value working hard.
While Bill Gate’s insight is disruptive to the old pattern, and helps us see that we’re placing value on what’s actually hurting us, this insight will help you to actually change the pattern.
Rule #2 Identify your vision
Ask yourself, “Would I love it?” The only prerequisite for making a decision is knowing you truly and authentically want it.
You must know what it is that you would love. Your vision is your compass, pointing you to the life that you would love and that will fulfill you.
Without that, you will continue to aimlessly repeat the same patterns again and again.
So ask yourself, “what would I love?” And envision for yourself the life that lights you up inside.
Once you have a vision that you would love for your life...
Rule #3 Make an unwavering decision
Decide for your vision. And keep making decisions that get you closer to it.
Bob Proctor says, "There is a single mental move you can make which, in a millisecond, will solve enormous problems for you. It has the potential to improve almost any personal or business situation you will ever encounter ... and it could literally propel you down the path to incredible success. We have a name for this magic mental activity ... it is called DECISION."
Why is decision the KEY to working less and achieving more?
- It sets in motion a chain of events that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
You behave differently once you’ve made a decision. You find the money, the time, the resources you need to make it happen because you’re committed.
And, as you behave more like the person in your vision, you become magnetic to the circumstances and people that are aligned to your vision, too. It feels easier.
There is a snowball effect, and that decision leads you down a path that only leads one place - your vision and a life you love.
- It frees up your energy to focus on what matters.
When we haven’t taken a stance on what we want, and haven’t begun saying yes to what supports our vision, and no to everything else, we’re mentally drained.
It takes so much more energy to be indecisive, unsatisfied and overextended. Once you know what you want, decisions take no energy and you have much more mental clarity and bandwidth.
- It allows you to create a life that you really love.
Once you decide for your vision you’re no longer trying to do what you think you “should” do, what other people want you to do, or what’s familiar.
You’re actually doing what you want. If you decide to work 20 hours a week instead of 40, your decision will lead you down the path to discover how to make that happen.
- The most successful people in the world are quick decision makers.
In "Think and Grow Rich", Napoleon Hill concludes that the world’s most successful people have something in common: they are quick to make decisions, and very rarely if ever, do they change their minds once a decision is made.
And when you look at someone like Richard Branson, it’s obvious that the world’s most truly successful people aren’t burnt out - they’ve figured out how to be highly successful on their terms. And it works exactly the same for you.
If you want to work less and accomplish more, you must repattern the “hard work” paradigm, identify your vision, and decide for it.