My new goal is to work less and achieve more. Don’t get me wrong, I am a REALLY hard worker and I’ll bet you are, too. But what we learned long ago about hard work and having a strong work ethic was tied directly to the number of hours we worked—it appeared to be a direct correlation. But many studies have proven that this is not necessarily so. Europe has already embraced shorter weeks and Tim Ferris wrote The 4-Hour Work Week back in 2008! Why are we all still grinding so?

Here are some fun facts: Productivity wanes after 50 hours, so much so that the work becomes pointless. Hours worked DO NOT necessarily equate to achievement or success—this is a belief we hold dear, but it’s not always true. Conversely, time off is not necessarily a sign of laziness, wasting time, or procrastinating—also a belief we hold that is not always true.

We have many beliefs about work that are not always true. What I do know to be true is that I can work less and achieve more. The key is that I define what success is to me and I create a routine to follow that will allow me to be focused and driven during each stretch of time that I am working. My goal, in addition to work less and achieve more, is to add more pockets of peace into my life. I’ll let you know how it goes. Want to join me?

Let’s GO! WE GOT THIS!
Beth Fitzgerald