This week was the last straw.

Jeff was off to band practice (that’s entirely different from “band camp,” in case you were wondering) and I was in the house alone. Which means TEMPTATION.

Temptation to work late without Jeff at home to remind/nag me to down.

I’d promised myself that I would stop work by 6pm and I broke my promise again.

That’s it! I am done with the old way.

I’m an incredibly efficient worker. I have timers and tools and techniques up the ying yang to help me get more done.

So why isn’t it getting me anywhere?

That’s when I found this YouTube video by Rory Vaden:

Everything you were taught about “time management” is WRONG.

(I highly recommend spending 18 minutes to watch this video. It’s a game changer.)

We were taught to focus on efficiency and importance, but that’s not enough.

It still keeps us running like a hamster on a treadmill — working faster and faster and going nowhere.

Instead, we need to add a new criteria in determining what needs to be done.

What can I do today that will give me more time tomorrow?

What activities that I do today will make my future better?

There’s never going to be a “good time” for me to hire and train someone. I’m just too damn busy.

But when I have someone to take on that work, it will save me hours of time…over and over again.

It’s thinking long-term about the significance of the stuff we do that leads to good decisions today.

The Focus Funnel

Rory Vaden describes the Focus Funnel we need to use to determine what gets done and what gets nixed.

For any task that comes in, ask:

#1 – Can I eliminate this task?

Anything that can be eliminated, should be eliminated. Purge it right off the bat.

#2 – Can I automate this task?

It’s likely that any repetitive, time consuming or monotonous task has been automated by someone already. Find the software, app or tool to do it for you.

#3 – Can I delegate this task?

A person of average intelligence can learn to do almost anything. Sure, requires a time investment now, but it saves hundreds of hours in the long run.

All of which leads me to the most challenging piece of all this:

It means saying NO.

Saying no is one of the hardest things to do. I hate rejecting people.

It means saying no to good opportunities you’re available for the great ones.

It means saying not choosing to respond to every single email, even when it pisses someone off. Sometimes it means saying no to the people I care about most.

The truth: you have to say NO if you want to say YES.

I need to create that sacred space in my life to breathe and actually enjoy it.

That’s what I’m working on as we focus on this month of productivity. Forcing myself to get down to the essentials and do LESS so I can love it more.

I hope you’ll join me. 🙂

What do you think about saying “no” to less busyness?