“Strategies for working smart instead of working more”

✍🏻 John Maxwell

1⃣ The Leverage Strategy Leverage is the art of using tools to increase the quality of work or productivity. These tools may be technologies—such as computer software—or organizational strategies like improved systems. What tools do you usually use to maximize your results? For example, a salesperson who sells through seminars or televised conferences will clearly achieve more sales than someone who sells one‑to‑one. What can you do to make your time, knowledge, or skills your leverage?

2⃣ The Delegation Strategy A specific form of leverage is delegation—engaging others to handle parts of your work so your time is freed for more profitable activities. Let’s revisit the salesperson example: if a salesperson excels at closing deals, they might delegate administrative tasks so they can spend more time selling. If the profit from increased sales exceeds the cost of delegation, then you have an effective system. I’m always surprised to hear business owners complain that their salespeople dislike planning ahead and feel bad about it.

3⃣ The Time‑Management Strategy I often hear business owners say that private‑sector employees are too many because they waste hours getting work done. I disagree. If you can’t complete your work in a normal business day, you likely lack skills in focus, leverage, and delegation—or you’re a manager who uses time poorly. Time management is the art of organizing yourself so you can complete all your tasks within a standard workday.

🌟 Organizing your day begins at the end of the previous day. If you plan during your downtime, your brain will help you work more efficiently. It’s estimated that 50% of rest time is spent organizing the brain and structuring the knowledge and experiences gained throughout the day.

4⃣ The Strategy of Distinguishing Between Activities I’m sure you know the 80/20 rule: 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. The reason this applies to so many people is that they don’t know which efforts produce the best results. If you track your good outcomes, you can adjust the 80/20 rule to work more effectively for you.

🌟 If you knew which 20% of your activities produced the best results, you could organize yourself to spend more time on those tasks—thus increasing your profit per hour. If you knew the characteristics of the 20% of your customers who generate 80% of your business, you could target that group more effectively.

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