Why “working more” is a bad idea
There's a common misconception about work that we need to address.
Everywhere we look, we see advice about "working hard", "working more", and "hustling".
In this blog post, I'll explain why that's bad advice and what we should do instead.
In a world with AI 🤖 and other digital advancements, we're more equipped than ever to work productively. But does that mean we should automate everything we can? I don't believe so.
There's a risk in automatic too much, especially automatic the wrong things. Creative tasks like writing, recording, communicating, editing, and designing are areas where we should still be hands-on and continue to develop our skills. However, mundane, repetitive administrative tasks should definitely get be automated when possible.
So, after automating parts of our workflow, we should have more time available and be able to take on more work, right?
The problem with filling every time slot with work is that we unintentionally eliminate crucial aspects of true productivity - reflection, analysis, strategic decision-making, and recovery.
The driver who wins a car race isn't always the one driving the fastest, but the one who makes the right decisions most often, acts proactively, and predicts the best next move.
In his book Smart Work, Dermot Crowley emphasizes,
"Smart workers know that results come from focus, not just effort."
And focus means working on the right thing, at the right time, in the right way.
So, to be proactive and move in the right direction (rather than just moving fast), we need to balance the types of tasks we do, when we do them, and how we do them.
For example, I start my day with a workout, followed by a shower, then 30 minutes of education, and then 30 minutes of business development. This way, I'm using my best period of focus on the most important things - health, self-development, and business growth. By the time I eat breakfast, I've already crossed those tasks off my todo-list before I start with my production work. This doesn't help me to "do more", but it helps me to "get more done".
Time is probably the resource (or "currency") we waste the most.
Money is easier to handle because we receive it in small bits throughout our lives. But time we get all at once when we are born, and then it just decreases day by day. We can never gain it back.
Of course, this gives us a sense of abundance as kids. We feel like we have all the time in the world. But as we grow older, we realize time is more precious than money, and it slips away as we take on more responsibilities.
Then we lock 🔒 ourselves into time-consuming jobs to cover the costs for all those responsibilities. So we end up selling most of our precious time in exchange for manual labor.
Sooner or later, we become a cog ⚙️ in the machine, and the big dreams we once had (those that require a lot of "hard work") start to feel more and more out of reach.
So, shouldn't we just work more to reach our goals?
Yes and no.
Of course, achieving big goals requires a lot of effort. But simply "working more" isn't the solution. We need to be nuanced about the challenges ahead of us and take the best action at each point to make progress.
Sometimes that action is to work more.
Sometimes it's to change direction.
Sometimes it's to take a break and reflect.
Sometimes it's to ask for help.
Sometimes it's to stop and start over.
But if our default solution to every stressful situation is to do more of what got us there, we never give ourselves the chance to understand how to truly get out of it. We also prevent ourselves from practising and developing that type of strategic decision-making.
Compare this to driving a car and getting stuck in the mud.
Pressing the gas harder won't always help. You'll just dig yourself deeper. That's when you need to get out, assess the situation, and find a better solution.
The same goes for work. We need to constantly shift our perspective and recognize when to apply each one.
This is a challenge at every level.
📊 For example, MRG (Management Research Group) did a study of 60,000 managers and executives and found that 97% rated “being strategic” as the most important leadership behavior to their organization’s success. However, Harvard Business School reported that 43 percent of executives cannot clearly state their own strategy.
(Despite this being the most important thing.)
The most common excuse? Lack of time.
This just shows how common it is to prioritize "urgent production work" over recovery, reflection, and strategic work.
And strategic thinking isn't just important for managers and executives - it is important for everyone. But if we always fill our schedules with operational work, there's no time left for the strategy.
So, if you're feeling stressed about your workload and you can't seem to catch a break, here are some questions to ask yourself before diving into the "work harder"-trap:
➡️ What is the purpose of this task?
➡️ Is this the most important task right now?
➡️ Is this task taking me toward my goal?
➡️ Can I automate this task?
➡️ Can someone else help with this?
➡️ Is there a more efficient way to do this?
Then, after reflecting on these questions, here are some alternative actions you can take, depending on your situation:
☑️ Take a break to eat
☑️ Take a power nap (15-30 minutes is recommended)
☑️ Go for a walk outside
☑️ Make a cup of coffee
☑️ Take a shower
☑️ Review your weekly schedule and cut the lowest-priority tasks
☑️ Call a friend for feedback
☑️ Map out your strategy using Miro.com to see it more clearly
☑️ "Brain dump" your thoughts to clear your head
☑️ Find a virtual assistant at GetFriday.com
☑️ Automate a task using Zapier.com
☑️ Replace a bad habit with a good one (that will improve your focus or save you time in the long run)
Hopefully, you learned something from this blog post that will help you save more time than it took to read this. If so, consider this an investment in working smarter, not harder. :)
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