Working Fast Isn’t Always Smart!

Many believe that being efficient and productive means working more and faster – rushing through tasks no matter how much there is to do.

Nothing could be further from the truth. First, it takes much energy to power through every single task on your to-do list – no matter how many there are. What’s truly effective and productive is focusing on the essential tasks that create real value – not all the unimportant ones.

What’s the big rush?

You’re probably familiar with the 80/20 rule, the Pareto Principle. This concept suggests that roughly 80% of consequences in many situations come from 20% of causes. It originates from the Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed in the late 1800s that 20% of Italy’s population owned 80% of the land. However, this economic “law of nature” applies in many areas, including productivity and personal efficiency.

Sometimes, it’s better to leave a task for a few days for a creative pause. Overthinking and focusing too much on a challenging task often lead to stagnation and the inability to find the smartest solution.

Sleep on It!

In Norway, we have an old saying: “Sleep on it.” This means taking a moment to pause and let your subconscious mind work on the problem. This way, you free your thought process from disruptive conscious thoughts—in other words, you free up time and bandwidth in the computer we call our brain. How often have you woken up the next day with the solution to a problem shining brightly and clearly in your mind?

Focus on whats creating value

Push aside all distractions to reach a creative solution for demanding tasks. “Sleeping on it” is not the same as procrastinating or putting off a task. It’s about strategizing how to work smarter.

Let’s say 20% of your tasks contribute to 80% of the results. What’s more important – working a lot or creating results? Reflect on the tasks you do every day – do they contribute to the outcomes you’re aiming for? Wouldn’t it be better to take some time to find the most brilliant method?

Do like smart people do

What do those who are genuinely efficient and achieve great results without exhausting themselves over long workdays do differently? Here are a few tips:

? Don’t worry about what others are doing or not doing. Jump into your tasks and focus on the ones you know will deliver the desired results. Those who genuinely succeed don’t compete with others but with themselves.

? Stop caring about what others think of you. Follow your ideas and priorities. What others think of you is none of your business. However, there are people whose opinions you should care about – your customers or those you’re serving. Truly productive people have much empathy.

? Don’t wait for permission. Many people wait for their boss to give them the green light to start a project or task. Skip that. Tackle the task without hesitation if you believe it’s essential to achieve results. No one ever got fired for creating value and showing initiative.

? Don’t let a lack of knowledge stop you. “I can’t take on this task because I don’t have the knowledge or training I need!” Too many people think like this, and nothing gets done. Take a page from Pippi Longstocking’s book: “I’ve never done this before, so I’m sure I’ll manage!”

In other words – jump into it but focus on the tasks that create the most value. Everything else – the less value-adding tasks – can probably wait until later if they need to be done.

Remember the 80/20 rule.

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