Name: Achieve More by Working Less
Rating: 3.9 (37 reviews)
Author: The Blinkist Team

Problem and Promise

In many cultures the value of hard work can’t be overstated. People work endless hours every week, trying to squeeze out a little more productivity. They want to get a promotion, or impress their colleagues, or even make their own business succeed. But, the question is: do all of these hours actually lead to better outcomes?

The short answer is, no. Mostly.
TL;DR

Here’s the Article in a nutshell

Working longer and longer hours is actually a winning strategy for increasing productivity. But there is a point of diminishing returns where overdoing it is, ultimately, counter-productive. Overworking can lead to poor health, damaged relationships and burnout. Not only that, but when you’re at work, you may not even be giving your best.

The solution to this isn’t to be significantly less productive. It’s learning to work in ways that make the most of your time rather than use the most of your time. In this Blinkist Article, we’ll look at three concepts that can help you do exactly that. Meeting management, the Pareto principle, and intentional prioritization are key methods we’ll be highlighting here, to make sure you feel like you’ve accomplished your goals at the end of the day, while leaving you time to enjoy your life.

If this has piqued your interest, and you want to learn more about these concepts in detail, check out the rest of this Blinkist Article.

Overworking is bad for your health

Perceptions of overwork can differ widely based on an individual's specific work culture. For the sake of this discussion, let's consider any work beyond the standard 40-hour work-week as overworking. Surprisingly, the average American clocks in 47 hours per week, and even more astonishingly, one in five Americans works for 59 hours each week.

Such intense workloads like this can create a negative impact on your health.

Get more with less

The source article highlights two key approaches for how to work smart: The Pareto principle, and ruthless prioritization.

The first is the Pareto principle. According to this principle, what’s important to understand is that about 20% of your work accounts for about 80% of your output. What does that mean? Well, if for example you’re a producer, it could be that 20% of the goods you sell account for 80% of your profits. Or, the other way around – Say you work in sales; it could be that 80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients. So, according to the Pareto principle, it’s always best to focus on the highest-leverage tasks.

Recommendations

If you’re interested in learning more about the topics we’ve discussed in this Blinkist article we’ve got some recommendations for you.

First we’d like to recommend a classic, The Four Hour Work Week, by Tim Ferris. This Blink is a goldmine if your goal is to work to live, rather live to work.

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While working long hours might seem productive, there's a tipping point where it becomes counter-productive; the key is optimizing work methods, not lengthening work hours. Dive into this article to explore vital concepts like meeting management, the Pareto principle, and intentional prioritization, ensuring both productivity and personal well-being.