Smarter, Not Harder: How to Succeed at Work
Most of us already work long hours. The key to better results isn’t working harder. It’s how we invest that time toward our goals. The best results come when we concentrate our effort in one direction. We all have the same amount of time each day to invest. The problem is we don’t always work smart.
The Talent Gap
There are two types of talent: natural and chosen
- Natural talent needs no explanation. Some people are just better than others at certain things.
- A lot of people rest on natural talent because it comes easy and they don’t develop the work habits necessary to keep getting better. As a result, naturally talented people are often passed by people who choose talent.
Choosing What to Focus On
Change how you think about your day
- Think of your day as having 96 blocks of energy, with each block being a 15-minute chunk of time (four blocks per hour × 24 hours = 96).
- Write a list of all the goals you have
- Circle your top three goals
- Eliminate everything else
- Everything that’s not on your top-three list should be dropped
The Power of Focus
Focus directs your energy toward your goals
- The more focused you are, the more energy goes toward what you’re working on
- You have to make tradeoffs to achieve your goals, and if you can’t make those tradeoffs, you’re not going to get far
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