9 Steps to Work Less and Do More - Book Review

We as a society are working smarter now, aren't we?  We have all this fantastic technology available. Many businesses have downsized and refocused on their core businesses.  Hasn't our productivity improved?  Not necessarily according to the Departmental of Labor (DOL). The DOL released a report in September 2010 that indicated labor productivity declined by 1.8% during the second quarter of 2010 compared to the first quarter, even though hours increased by 3.5% and output increased slightly by 1.6%.   This seems to indicate that we are working longer hours, yet our productivity is actually declining.  What can we do about it?  What is occurring here?  It has been ingrained in our minds that the longer and harder we work, the more we will produce.  Is this a fallacy?

I had an opportunity to read several chapters of the Get-It-Done-Guy's book called "9 Steps to Work Less and Do More" by Stever Robbins.  This book provided excellent insight on this very concept of working smarter.  It is an easy read and is written in such an engaging, humorous and insightful manner that it easily drew me in. 

Here are the nine steps:

Step 1 - Live and work on purpose
Step 2 - Stop procrastinating
Step 3 - Conquer your technology
Step 4 - Cultivate focus
Step 5 - Stay organized - mentally & physically
Step 6 - Don't waste time.
Step 7 - Streamline your tasks & Optimize them
Step 8 - Build stronger relationships
Step 9 - Leverage your strengths & achieve better results

The chapter on living and working on purpose caught my attention and is probably the most critical step in this model, in my opinion. How often do we get caught up in daily operations and firefighting in our businesses?  How frequently do we step out from the day to day business operations and focus on strategic issues?  I recently participated in a West Chester - Liberty Chamber Alliance Breakfast Briefing on "How to Thrive versus Survive in this Economy", and the topic of strategic planning came up.  The consensus among the group was that small business owners should be reviewing their strategic plans quarterly because of all the changes that are occurring in the environment. The new health care reform and tax regulations were given as prime examples of catalysts.

So this spurs the broader question...why do we avoid the process of identifying and working on our main purpose in life and in business?  Have we stopped dreaming?  Do we avoid it because we are afraid of change?  It's easy to stay the course and focus on maintaining the status quo.  Perhaps we avoid it because we haven't learned how to do it effectively.  It is sometimes challenging to take the initiative to learn new skills without guidance.  Procrastination could be a culprit.  OR, perhaps we don't have the proper tools and a road map...

Stever Robbins provides a step by step guide in his book for preparing a life purpose map for your personal and professional development.  He calls it the "Goal Ladder".  In the goal ladder, you progress through a process of identifying the "big picture" goals for your business and personal life. Then you develop a list of your sub goals and actions that tie into your big picture goals.  The intent is that you will use this goal ladder on a daily basis to ensure that your daily actions line up with your sub goals and big picture goals.  It provides you with a decision making framework for reviewing each of your daily activities to ensure they are moving you in the direction you wish to proceed.  If they don't line up, it helps you to make the decision to say "no" to projects and tasks that do not help you achieve your goals. 

Saying "no" can challenging.  Saying "no" to a boss, co worker, a family member or even a friend can be difficult.  However, if you have a framework for decision making, it makes it easier to say "no" to sidebar projects.  In turn, this creates room for the bigger projects that fit into your master plan. Here are some specific decision areas that should be checked against your map as they are potential time and effiency thieves:

• When surfing the web, reading email or doing anything online. This is where considerable time is wasted.
• Prior to running errands.
• Making outbound telephone calls.
• Performing administrative tasks.

During an interview, Stever offered the following advice for combatting procrastination:

Why do we procrastinate?  What are some simple tips for beating procrastination?

Thinking causes procrastination. No, really. We build up tasks in our mind, thinking they'll be huge, unachievable,or unpleasant. The remedy is to stop thinking and just start acting. Your brain will still get in your way, however. While you're filling out your procrastinated expense reports, your brain will distract you with worries that you're making no progress on the novel you've been procrastinating.

As I mention in my book, you can make your brain happy by speed-dating your tasks. List what you're procrastinating. Start at the top and work on each task for exactly five minutes, then move to the next task. Use a timer to be precise. When you're done, take a 5-10 minute break and do it again. Five minutes is short; your brain will let you do it. Since you're hitting several of your procrastinated tasks, your brain knows you'll get to your other tasks just five minutes from now. It frees you to focus completely on the task in front of you, yet guarantees you'll go on to make progress on everything that's important.

Excellent advice from Stever.

I would love to hear your ideas on ways to work smarter!  Please feel free to leave a comment here or send me an email (chrissann@completebusinessstrategies.com) with your suggestions.  Also, please forward to other business professionals if you have found this information to be of value.