The Art of Doing Less to Achieve More

The Illusion of Productivity

Is it possible to accomplish more than what you're already doing? Is there room for even one more task on your already overflowing plate? The reality is, most successful individuals are already overwhelmed with tasks. The notion of doing more to achieve more is simply not feasible. The key to increased productivity lies in doing less.

The Paradox of Doing Less

The idea of doing less to achieve more may seem counterintuitive. You might be thinking, "I'm already struggling to get everything done, how can doing less help?" The answer lies in the value of each task you undertake. Are all your activities yielding the highest possible return? Or are you spending a significant portion of your time on tasks that offer relatively lower returns?

Identifying What Not to Do

Most people's time is consumed by routine tasks, commitments made to others, and responding to interruptions, often trivial. To make room for important tasks, we tend to squeeze them into our already packed schedules. This approach is akin to trying to fit ten pounds of stuff into a five-pound bag - it simply doesn't work. The important tasks end up being neglected, leading to a state of overwhelm that stifles creativity and prevents consideration of potentially more important tasks.

The Guilty Pleasures of Productivity

In an informal survey of executives, common tasks that they admitted to doing but knew they shouldn't included answering emails throughout the day, handling company finances, interviewing all job candidates, purchasing, filing, writing marketing copy and advertisements, signing all checks, and having the final say on minor product changes. While these tasks are important, the question is whether they are the most important tasks for you to be doing, particularly at this stage in your organization's development.

The Trap of Absolute Advantage

Adam Smith's concept of "absolute advantage" suggests doing all the things that you do better than anyone else. While this seems logical, it can lead to a situation where you end up doing everything, reluctant to delegate any tasks.

The Principle of Comparative Advantage

David Ricardo's 19th-century Law of Comparative Advantage offers a solution. Ricardo suggested that to maximize wealth, each entity should focus on producing goods that they can create with the least sacrifice. In other words, focus on tasks that yield the highest value per unit of work. Everything else, regardless of how well you do it, should be delegated to others.

Applying the Principle of Comparative Advantage

To apply Ricardo's principle, keep a record of all the tasks you do over a day, week, or month. Note what you're doing every 15 minutes for at least two or three days. This exercise will reveal whether you've been squandering your comparative advantage. Are all your tasks highly productive? Are they making you money or making a difference in the world?

The Three Courses of Action

Once you understand how you spend your time, you have three options:

• Eliminate tasks that offer little value.
• Delegate important tasks to capable individuals within your organization or outsource them to specialized firms.
• Focus on tasks that make the most significant difference.

By applying Ricardo's principle of comparative advantage, you can identify the tasks that contribute the most and focus on those, offloading or eliminating the rest. This approach can be applied at all levels of your organization to create extraordinary results.

In conclusion, to achieve more in terms of value, you have to do less.

(c) Copyright Paul Lemberg. All rights reserved.