How to achieve more by doing less

By chaining yourself to the workplace, you are unlikely to start generating brilliant ideas. How to find a way to do less, but to achieve more in a day ? This will tell Lisa Evans today.

So, give the word to Lisa!
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Considering the ever-increasing number of tasks that need to be completed in a certain time, there are days when we really want 25 hours per day.

But Kristin Carter, the author of the book The Sweet Spot: How to find your niche at home and at work, says that having an extra hour is unlikely to help us cope with conflicting responsibilities and an alleged lack of time. , energy or patience. She argues that in order to achieve more in a day, in fact you need to do less. Here is how it looks in practice:

Take more breaks

Faced with an important project, you probably think that the best way to successfully cope with it is to chain yourself to the desktop and fully concentrate on the task until the project is completed. But in fact, things are a little different, says Carter. She argues that the successful completion of the project is not necessarily associated with additional time costs, increased concentration of attention - you just need to alternate periods of intense concentration with interruptions. “Our brain cannot work equally efficiently all the time,” says Carter. By regularly changing the type of activity you deal with during the day, you give your brain the opportunity to work with maximum productivity and do more in significantly less time.

“By focusing on the task, you use only one part of your brain,” says Carter. This means that by maintaining mindfulness for a long period of time, you automatically turn off other parts of the brain, for example, those that are responsible for creativity. Removing time from the main task, and switching to doing something else, you activate the work of various neurons, gaining access to many resources of your brain and making its work more efficient.

Do morning tasks on autopilot

Willpower is a depletable resource that disappears as we make various decisions during the day. Reserving the will for the most important work, according to Carter, we guarantee protection against premature burnout.

The problem is that many of us wake up and immediately grab onto the phones, checking messages and notifications on social networks, emails and reading texts. All of this takes part of our willpower before we get out of bed. To preserve the will for more important things planned for the day, Carter advises to keep your smartphone away from the bed, and to do morning tasks on autopilot . “By doing the same thing, in a certain sequence every day in the morning, you do not think and do not make decisions, and thus, sitting at your workplace and starting work, you feel absolutely fresh and able to concentrate attention,” explains Carter.

Decide when it is already “good enough”

We spend too much of our intellectual energy trying to jump higher than our heads. Deciding, for example, where to hold a corporate event, you can sort out dozens of options and spend hours trying to figure out which institution will make the best impression on employees. Thus, you spend not only your intellectual strength, but also time, since you can get six or seven places that will fully meet your requirements.

Instead, Carter recommends a process that she calls “satisficing” - that is, work on something only until you realize that the result is “good enough.” Outline your eligibility criteria, and stop at the first facility that meets your requirements. Do not continue to search for other options. "We are very tempted to find more or better," says Carter. “People believe that the more the better, but in most cases it is not. Ask yourself the question: “Will the project be sure to be done better if you are researching even more material?” If the answer is “no,” stop working as soon as you succeed well enough.

Focus on the positive

“Positive emotions allow you to be as productive as possible,” said Carter. A large number of psychological and neurobiological studies have shown that our brain works much better when we are in a cheerful mood. In those moments when we are positive, our thinking is more active, creative, flexible and effective. With this attitude, you can even become a successful leader. “When we are happy, we are more sensitive. We are able to feel the emotions of others. We see what other people need. We better understand what they are talking about and feel connected to them, ”says Carter. To help yourself maintain a positive mood throughout the day, start a thank you journal and write three things in it for which you are grateful for the current day. Set aside 15 minutes a day for sports or practice meditation on a regular basis .

Say yes only when justified.

“We have to abandon the idea that the more the better, and that employment is an indicator of importance,” says Carter. “Employment is just a sign of employment. But not at all indicative of the importance of man. ” Pay attention to how you feel when making a decision about the task, and take only what really inspires and motivates you.

“Our emotions often tell us whether we will succeed in what we are going to take, and whether we will work with enthusiasm,” says Carter. By agreeing to do something that does not motivate and inspire you, you must be prepared for the fact that not only you spend more than the planned time, but also hardly add yourself a feeling of happiness and success.

PS Another article is related to this topic - Why great achievements will not make you happier (and what to do about it!) . Recommended!

Translated by Vyacheslav Davidenko, founder of MBA Consult