“If any will not work, neither let them eat.”
The definition of “work ethic” is the principle that hard work is intrinsically virtuous or worthy of reward, but the term has been used by top capitalists since the wee centuries of BCE to mean something a bit different. The rhetoric became, if you don’t work hard, you are in some way morally deficit.
I’d like to disagree. Working more than you’re compensated is not a badge of honor. If the rewards don’t match the input, that’s not a good work ethic. That’s giving your incredibly limited resource of time to someone for unequal compensation.
So, whether you’re traditionally employed or self-employed, let’s talk about ways you can work less without sacrificing output so you can put some of that limited time back into your own pocket.
Ideas For Working Fewer Hours
Here are our top 10 tips to work less without damaging your output.
1. Prioritize high-impact tasks
The first step is to identify and prioritize those tasks that give you the highest yield. Run an 80/20 analysis on your day-to-day operations to determine which 20% of your efforts are giving you 80% of the payout.
When you don’t strategize your work day, the common impulse is to do the quickest, easiest, or most accessible tasks first, which are often not the most productive. This means time wasted on minutia not related to your core goals.
Intentionally finding those high-impact areas of effort and focusing energy there can greatly increase your output while decreasing your input. Yay! ^_^
You can also use an Eisenhower Matrix to separate your tasks into four categories: Do now, do later, delegate, and don’t.
Putting your focus on these important tasks, while minimizing, delegating, or automating the others, can allow you to work less while still achieving the same amount–or even more.
2. Automate what you can
Taking a little time now to set up automations for routine tasks can save you more time in the future. This could mean finding an app, program, or lower level colleague to perform that task for you, or just organizing your time and materials in a way that makes those repeat tasks run smoother.
Leverage technology to free up your time.
Email management: Use filters and labels to sort your emails for easier and quicker responses.
Task management: Use an app like Todoist to organize tasks by priority and due date, plus set up alerts and reminders for recurring events.
Scheduling: Something like Calendly can make scheduling meetings and consultations hands-free.
Social Media Management: Queueing your posts in batches instead of individually with something like Hootsuite or Buffer can save you hours.
Financial Management: Use auto payments to free up some headspace. You can also use an app like YNAB to track your personal spending and earning.
Grammar checks: Use a check like Grammarly to quickly proof your emails and copywriting.
ChatGPT: Edit blocks of text, rephrase things, professionalize it, brainstorm, problem-solve, and more with an AI.
Along with utilizing technology, set your day up for smooth sailing. Things like laying your clothes out the night before (or even curating a daily “uniform”), standardizing your breakfast, solidifying a morning routine, or employing an EOD checklist to prepare for the next day.
3. Delegate effectively
If applicable, delegate! It can be hard to do if you don’t have much practice, but learning to delegate effectively can save you so much time in the long-run. If you’re not in a position to delegate to people, I refer back to the above point: Leverage technology.
If you’re building your own business, keep your ear to the ground for time and opportunities to free up your time by hiring someone like an editor, personal assistant, writer, or other professional to do your recurring tasks that don’t require your particular expertise.
4. Set clear boundaries
Setting boundaries with work is important, whether you’re traditionally employed or self-employed. This can look like not making yourself available outside of the hours you are paid to be available, prioritizing your health over your work productivity, or electing to spend more time on what you find important rather than squeezing every minute of work from yourself.
This might mean silencing work-related contacts after you clock out. Say you have an idea for a task or project you have at work–instead of pulling out your laptop and working on it during your time off, just jot it down so you can reference it later and work on it during the hours you’re being paid to do so.
If you work on-site, you might set boundaries with your colleagues for no-interruption time blocks so you can get deep work done.
5. Task batch
Task batching is when you collect similar tasks to do all at once. This reduces switching costs, saves time, and increases productivity.
You can task batch based on the type of task, location of tasks, or even who is involved with those tasks.
Examples:
- Co-owners of a company might find themselves stopping their own work to communicate with each other throughout the day. It might be more effective to keep a running list of questions and info for one another, then swap at the end of the day, or at planned points throughout.
- You might group your meetings, email responses, and other correspondence into the same block of time to get it all out of the way. This leaves more focused time for deep work.
- If you work partially remote and have tasks to do in-office, you can keep an ongoing to-do list for when you’re there instead of trying to get it done from your house less conveniently.
Collecting similar tasks together is effective because you’re in the headspace for that type of task, the switching costs are greatly reduced, and it increases your efficiency.
6. Limit meetings
Meetings are so rarely helpful. Unless there’s genuinely information to be swapped or things to discuss that couldn’t be handled in writing, try to avoid meetings. There’s an argument that there’s benefit to meetings, like connecting with colleagues, but we’re trying to work less here.
An exception is, of course, client meetings or consultation calls. If you’re in a call to get a new job or customer, that’s a more effective use of your time than loose-topic routine meetings with your colleagues.
7. Focus on deep work
We’ve mentioned deep work a few times already. Deep work is a concept popularized by some guy in some book and refers to the practice of focusing on a cognitively demanding task without distraction.
(The book is Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport)
Deep work requires cognitive demand, productivity and efficiency, intense focus without interruptions or distractions, and it often involves some sort of skill or ability development for long-term professional growth.
Strategies for facilitating deep work:
- Schedule it. Set specific times during your day dedicated to that work, and treat them as non-negotiable appointments.
- Create a distraction-free environment. Find a quiet place to work, whether that’s a home office or supply closet.
- Set clear goals. Defining what you want to accomplish during your deep work session is essential. Get specific with what you’re working on before you begin.
- Track your progress. Keeping a record of your deep work can help you improve future sessions and motivate you to continue the practice.
- Communicate boundaries. Deep work doesn’t work with interruptions, so be sure to let colleagues/family know about your schedule to minimize disruptions.
8. Implement a no-interruptions policy
People will only respect your time as much as you respect your time. Allowing interruptions during your work day will lengthen it and/or make you less effective, so implement a no-interruptions block of time (or your entire day, if you’re feeling kooky) to let your colleagues know that you’re not going to be reachable.
You can even set up away messages for your phone and email so you can shut them off or put them out of sight.
9. Take care of yourself
The most important component of personal productivity is to take care of yourself properly. If you don’t believe me, check out the productive benefits of taking regular breaks.
Aside from breaks, make your work as pleasant and enjoyable for yourself as you can, even if you hate your job. Make your home office comfortable, get some good noise cancellers, invest in comfy shoes if you’re on your feet all day. Drink water. Etc.
10. Do your own shit
And ultimately, the best way to (eventually) work less is to do your own thing. If you’re traditionally employed, can you build something up on the side to make some extra cash, or eventually turn it into your full-time gig? Passive income streams are also cool.
The least effective use of our energy and time is making someone else money. What can you build for yourself? A consulting business, a blog, an Etsy shop, a series of strategically placed vending machines? You can start small, with little time investment and even no money, but having a stream of income that you have more control over than working for someone else can provide financial stability, peace of mind, and eventually 🤞 shorter work hours.
Disclosure: We may earn a commission from some products purchased through links in our posts. This is at no additional cost to you, and recommendations are based on our honest opinions and experience.
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