How to Accomplish More in Four Days Than Most People Do in Four Weeks
We all know that it takes hard work to achieve our goals. And in the world of business and entrepreneurship, we often hear how we must be willing to sacrifice weeks, months, even years of slaving away to succeed.
What if there was a way to accomplish a huge to-do list in less than half the time it would normally take? With a little practice and self-control, it’s possible to get to the finish line before most people even start the race.
Use the 80/20 rule
The Pareto principle says 80 percent of results will come from just 20 percent of the action. In other words, roughly 20 percent of your customers will account for 80 percent of your total profits. Likewise, about 20 percent of your daily tasks account for your most important and time-consuming projects. Having a laser-like focus on those top 20 percent of tasks is the most valuable use of your time. Once those tasks are complete, you can work on the bottom 80 percent, or delegate those tasks to others.
Break big tasks into manageable chunks
Stop trying to take on monster-sized jobs. Break tasks into manageable pieces so you’re just taking on one small task at a time. Make sure your to-do list is broken into tasks that can be accomplished relatively quickly - a half hour or less. Then start using a stopwatch to kick your focus into high gear. Set a timer for 20 minutes and tell yourself you must stay totally focused until it goes off. You’ll be shocked by how much you can accomplish! And once you’ve finished the allotted time, you may be motivated to keep going -- how much more can you do in another 20 minutes?
Outsource tasks to focus on your talents
The best use of your time is to focus on the areas where you’re strongest. If you can hand the other tasks off to someone else, you’ll have more time to focus on the tasks you’re best at. You can do this by outsourcing jobs that you don’t excel in. Outsourcing might mean hiring someone or using a form of automation technology. Tasks that may be easy to outsource include web developer, content writer, graphic designer, or a general virtual assistant who can ease the burden of many daily tasks such as setting appointments or returning emails.