Doing less is a competitive advantage
Great things require focus.
Working long hours is overrated.
I stopped working 12 hours a day and my productivity skyrocketed.
For most of my career I’ve staked my value in believing that I may not always be the smartest or most talented person in the room, but I’m usually the hardest working.
I regularly told myself that there are very few people who are willing and able to outwork me.
This was my competitive advantage.
Through sheer force of will, I’ve always been willing to put in more hours, more face time, and more effort.
But recently I discovered that I have this all backward.
The best work of my career rarely came from working all-nighters and weekends.
It came from consistent, deep work.
Narrow your focus
When you narrow your focus, you’re capable of incredible things.
For years I’ve fallen into the multitasker’s trap.
I sit at my computer and immediately start opening tabs.
Sometimes I would open more than 30 tabs on my browser + Slack, Spotify, and my code editor.
I used to waste an embarrassing amount of time clicking through each tab and deciding one-by-one when to make time to read the article or watch the video.
Recently I decided to limit myself to only tabs and tools that are absolutely necessary for the job (max 3).
It’s helped me protect my attention by reducing possible distractions.
If this sounds like you, stop multitasking. Do one thing at a time. You’ll get much more done.
Create a Flow State
Your focus is as much physical as it is mental.
Some people can work in crowded coffee shops and open-concept offices, but for me it’s a guaranteed distraction.
To enter a Flow State I need silence and minimal visual distractions.
My home office has a comfortable chair, a standing desk, and monitor. Nothing more.
I make it minimal so that it’s flexible. I can use the space to work, create, or just reflect. The setup lends itself to any occasion.
Everyone’s Flow State is different. Some people like white noise, music, candles, etc.
Whatever fits your style, it’s worth the investment.
I think of Flow as a state where I’m not thinking about myself or my performance. My attention is solely on the task at hand.
My focus is on being present.
The goal is to leave work satisfied with my effort, like I left it all on the field. Some days will be maximally productive, others will feel stale, but I’m committing to showing up everyday for the long-term.
I stopped fetishizing “burning the midnight oil.”
In a world that is desperate for more originality, “more work” is not the answer.
Breakthroughs come from Deep Work
Breakthroughs don’t come from exhausting yourself, they come from Deep Work.
This can be as short as 2 hours a day.
Ask yourself: what could you get done in 2 hours with zero distractions? No phone, no Instagram, no email.
History is full of examples of people doing incredible things over short periods of time.
Javascript, the most popular programming language in the world, was written in 10 days.
Charles Dickens wrote a Christmas Carol in 6 weeks.
The first version of Instagram was developed in 8 weeks.
It’s inspiring to think of what’s possible with the right environment and motivation.
It’s liberating to devote your undivided attention to a single task.
These examples are helpful reminders that great things require focus.
Sometimes doing less is the competitive advantage.
If you enjoyed this post, share it with your friend who works too much.
Two things that come to mind after reading this:
1. Also applies to the corporate world. Great example is Steve Jobs coming back to Apple and refocusing the product lines.
2. There is value in more work for creative pursuits within a specific focus. Example here is where they had judges rank the best art from two groups. One group had to create a single piece to present while the other got to create as many as they wanted. The latter group did much better since they just produced a ton of volume, iterated, learned, etc.
You want both - hard work but keeping it focused.