10 Ways to Actually Work Smarter
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Focus on Systems Instead of Goals
Most goals are out of our control. We have limited control to reach them. In a system, your focus is on all the parts that you do control. And system is a fancy word for “repeatable process”.
For example: running a marathon is a goal, running 4 days a week for 30 minutes is a repeatable process.
Leverage the Compound Effect
When you focus on developing systems and work every day, your work compounds over time, developing exponential growth.
The more advantages you create, the more your next advantages pay off. A 1% gain every day compounds to almost 38x increase over a year.
Measure Output, Not Input
Systems are the best way to progress since they reward effort and we control all the variables. However, we need to have a sense of direction in those efforts, to know what we are trying to accomplish.
Writing daily with no objective is just practice. If you want to achieve something, you need to commit to a certain output, like publishing a post on your blog weekly. At the end of the day, a system is a way to control how to achieve an output.
Use the 80/20 Rule
... to constantly question yourself if your focus, time or money is on the things that generate the majority of the results.
The 80/20 rule, also known as the Pareto Principle states: 80% of the output or results will come from 20% of the input or action. The little things are the ones that account for the majority of the results.
Reserve Mornings for Deep Work
Our working memory, alertness, and concentration gradually improve a couple of hours after waking up, peaking at about mid-morning - our brain’s natural peak productivity period.
Take advantage of this state, by scheduling your most important work for this period. Focus on performing Deep Work, meaning you get to work free of distraction for a long period of time.
3 Types of Distractions
- Physical: they range from the clutter on your desk or having too many clothes, making it harder to choose an outfit in the morning.
- Intangible: notifications from your phone, random web browsing sessions without an end in mind, convoluted apps and systems that take more time to manage than to do the actual work.
- People: the annoying coworker who keeps interrupting you or that friend that you always give more than you receive.
Automate Repetitive Tasks
More automation means more time to focus on creative and productive work.
Start by listing down all the tasks that you have to do recurrently every week. Then find ways to automate them, either by using apps or building your own system. It doesn’t matter what you do, you’ll always have recurring tasks.
Be Data-Driven
You should always make data-driven decisions. If you don’t, you are choosing to go with your opinion with no facts to back it up.
It starts by questioning everything: do I think this way because it’s my opinion/other people say so/it’s how the world works or because I’ve tested it?
Growth comes from hard work and a little luck. Hyper-growth comes from testing.
Delegate the Non-Essential
No one is the best at everything. By focusing on what you do best and delegating the rest, you optimize your productivity.
Unless you have to develop a new skill, it’s always better to find someone already skilled at something to complete that task.
The Struggle Is the Process
Some days are great, some days are good, some days are bad. Embrace the struggle: this is the space where breakthroughs come from.
And when you finally find something that works, it’s a magical time. But no one is going to clap. So you must do it for yourself. Learn to enjoy the small victories.
