Work smarter...not harder. Simple. Not so easy, right!? I don’t know about you, but at every point in growing my little empire, I’ve had to be very intentional about what working smarter means.  I grew up with the message “work hard and you can achieve anything”.  Hopeful … helpful … right up until it’s sooo not.   That programming had me connecting my output with my value.  And that, my friends, is simply not true.

I continue to immerse myself in that which helps me to work smarter NOT harder.  Here are three tips and strategies that work for me:

1. Focus on your 20% – the Pareto Principle tells us that 20% of what you do drives 80% of your results.  But you’re a smart person, you know that. Here’s the rub … your 20% is constantly shifting and moving. Periodically block time (more to follow on that) to THINK about what your 20% is.  Create some “white space” so that ideas flow.  Figure out what your Zone of Genius is and stay there. As the leader of your organization, your 20% absolutely includes strategy and vision – you need to see around corners (thank you COVID for making this crystal clear).

2. Spend time each week to PLAN your week. Write it all out – block the time on your calendar. I’ve been talking about this for years – it’s powerful. I color code my calendar:
   • • • • Green – revenue producing
         • Yellow – leadership
         • Purple – content building and speaking

That’s my 20% and I make sure that gets about 80% of my time.  The rest are coded as BLACK so I can clearly see when I have too much that falls outside my Zone of Genius.

When I plan my week (which I like to do on Sunday evenings) I also block time for exercise, inspirational time, professional development time, working on key relationships, FUN and even a bit of meal planning,  The truth is that represents “all of me” and unless I block time and plan, something is NOT going to happen – leading to stress and underperforming – not for this gal!

Also, explore front-loading your days (eat the frog) and your week.  My energy is higher earlier in the week than later in the week – I block time accordingly.  It’s almost magical.

3. Delegate, delegate, delegate. Lately, I’ve been marinating in Secrets of the Millionaire Mind by T. Harv Eker.  Now, frankly, I’ve built a formidable organization, but I am, by no means, finished.  Profit drives possibility and massive profit drives massive possibilities.  I am here in the world to make an impact.

Harv says millionaires earn at least $500/hour – so what is keeping you from focusing on producing $500/hour (every hour).  What are the tasks that take you out of your Zone of Genius?  For me, it’s the “administrivia” and the detail work.  I can do it, but it takes a TON of energy.  It’s the bookkeeping, the social media (which is a rabbit hole for me), the CRM tasks, internet research (did I mention seeing around corners), the project management details and so much more.

Consider tracking your time to see where you are “leaking” time.  We have a Time Tracking and ROI tool I am happy to provide (email me) — it will help you to determine what your Zone of Genius is and what is keeping you from that.  And equally important, what your ROI on delegating those tasks might be – I’m guessing it’s way more than you think.

Simple, not necessarily easy.  Right?  And it’s a process, not an event.  Keep coming back to it.  Trust me, it’s worth it.

And speaking of your 20% … building influence is DEFINITELY part of your 20% so join us at my next Business Growth Series webinar:  The Power of Influence (and how to get more).