How to Be More Productive with Less Effort

Have you discovered how to be more productive with less effort? I assure, it is possible to increase your productivity with less effort.

I recently published my new book Tom’s List: 50 Commandments to Transform Your Life. Commandment number 10 shows it’s possible to get more done with less effort and reveals how it is done. The secret is based on the reality that 20% of what you do produces 80% of the results.

In our fast-paced world, it is so easy to diddle around with things which fail to produce results.

Think of the difference between a shotgun and a rifle. When you pull the trigger on a shotgun many pellets speed toward the target. They are relatively small and approach the target in an ever-widening pattern. It takes several pellets striking the target to do damage. But a rifle shoots a single bullet directly at the target. And if that one projectile hits the target the damage is done.

The older I get, the less energy I have and the more difficult it is to focus. There are tons of things calling for my attention. I flit from one thing to the next. My inclination is to think that the more pellets I shoot toward my moving targets, the more productive I am. Can you relate?

But Tom’s List #10 reminds me that 20% of my effort yields 80% of the desired results. In my book I show how this principle was discovered by Vifredo Pareto. It all began when he observed 20% of the peas in his garden produced 80% of his total crop. He started noticing this ratio applied to many other areas of live. Before long he had proven the 20-80 ratio applied to most areas of life.

So here’s the deal: learn to focus on doing what produces the most results.

It sounds simple until you try to put the principle into practice.

Let me make it easy. Ask yourself this question: “What’s the one thing, if I started doing it, would significantly improve my life?” How to be more productive with less effort starts with  the answer to that question. So what’s your answer to that question?

Here’s a few possible answers:

• Repair the broken relationship with your spouse.
• Start each day with prayer and Bible reading.
• Lose 50 pounds.
• Complete the degree program you started years ago.
• Find a job you love and ditch the one you hate.
• Kick your addiction.
• Become debt free.

I read a book several years ago called The One Thing which captured my attention. It pushed the concept of focus to a new level when it pointed out that by doing the ONE right thing you can unleash tremendous power in your life.

This is illustrated by lining up a series of dominoes where the next one in the chain is 1.5 times bigger than the previous. (You REALLY need to watch this short video.)

Even if you are getting older and have less strength and energy, you can still increase your output. When you focus on doing the right things it is possible to get more done with less effort.

Spend some time answering this important question: What is the one thing which YOU need to focus on? When you discover the answer, and start to focus on that one thing, you will know how to be more productive with less energy.

If you are interested in checking out the books I mention in this article, here are the links: