Working harder does not yield better results
Most people think that they will achieve more when they work harder but it turns out that this is a big mistake. If you push yourself too hard, it leads to diminishing returns. Now this will get even worse if you try to push things even harder the moment everything starts to decline.
When things are not going so well, the best thing to do is to retreat to a safer ground, grab a breath of fresh air and allow your body to recharge. If you want to get a lot more to be done in much less time, it is important that you care for your mental and physical well being.
3 Reasons why doing less is sometimes more
1) It’s difficult to focus
While it is commendable to pile on projects, research shows that work tends to take longer to finish if one gears up for war. What happens is that you are too much aware of what you have not yet completed. This means that you cannot give whatever you are working on your 100% attention. As a result, you become grumpy and less productive. Your work is often of lower quality since you do not give it your full attention.
2) Haste makes waste
While this might be an old cliché, it is very true. If you are a hardworking person, you will try to achieve the impossible. You will want to go a lot faster than you probably should. The result is that you will not get enough sleep. You will do everything in your power to finish your tasks.
But the point is that your only goal is not to finish the task. What matters even more is doing your task well. Doing too much leads to mistakes and the time spent to correct those mistakes might be more than you saved in completing the task.
3) It’s self-defeating
Should you happen to have a list of things that you could not finish on time, you will know it. And if you prioritize these chores into more realistic blocks, it is possible to always feel as if you have made a dent. It turns out, this is very important for your morale and sanity.
You should never try to compete with things that seem impossible. The reason is because you will never win. Eventually, you will even give up trying.
Exercise and Meditation
There are times when pushing yourself too hard at your business requires that you stay in the office day and night. This leads to a sedentary lifestyle that is very unhealthy. If you also have to deal with stress at the same time, the situation becomes even worse.
According to studies, getting regular exercises leads to improvement in concentration, energy levels and overall health.
It does not always mean that you set aside time for gym. Sometimes, just a jog or a walk will do. You could also ride a bike to get blood pumping in your lungs.
When you return to work, you will be more energized and refreshed.
Another important thing is to meditate. While the best form of meditation is yoga, even reserving a couple of minutes to yourself daily can do the trick. Just close the door and relax to clear your mind. This might turn into a short nap but that is even better.
In our quest to succeed in life, we tend to think that working even harder is the solution. In real senses however, doing less is actually better.
This is because when we push ourselves, we make mistakes that might be too costly to undo. Also, doing les leaves us with time to relax and exercise and these are really good for the brain.
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