Travis Bradberry on How successful people work less—and get more done
Quite a diverse list of things, actually:
- They disconnect
- They minimize chores
- They reflect
- They exercise
- They pursue a passion
- They spend quality time with family
- They schedule micro-adventures
- They wake up at the same time
- They designate mornings as “me time”
- They prepare for the upcoming week
But most importantly, they attac
See the article for more details. This list is by no means scientific, I included it here as a goal-reminder: I already do more than half of it, probably should look into what’s left.
The study found that productivity per hour declines sharply when the workweek exceeds 50 hours, and productivity drops off so much after 55 hours that there’s no point in working any more. That’s right, people who work as much as 70 hours (or more) per week actually get the same amount done as people who work 55 hours.
Note that they studied people productivity in manufacturing, e.g. “Forty Women Milling a Screw Thread on Fuze Bodies”, I’m not sure how well it translates to creative work.
At first I grabbed this article and sent it to people who (I think) overwork. To which they countered that output of 55 hours is still bigger than that of 40 hours of work. Of course you have to pay the price, but still, if you’re willing and can do so sustainably, you really can get more done by working more than 8 hours a day (or without weekends).