5 Tips to Work Less and Earn More

Does it seem impossible to work less and earn more? In order to get more done, it has probably been ingrained that you need to invest more time. You might have even gotten into a habit of working 12 or more hours a day, perhaps because you think you’ll be viewed as more accomplished than your colleague who only works 8 hours. Throughout your career, you might have even received added incentives to work more only to discover one day how exhausted you’ve become. Maybe you left that 12 hour workday behind and have started your own business but no longer bring in your desired level of income so, in your mind, it further confirms your belief system that you must work more to bring in more money.

Working more often inhibits the amount you get accomplished and the quality of your work. Working less and earning more requires thinking creatively. You first have to be open to the possibility that it is feasible to work less and earn more. Once you get through any self-limiting belief systems you might have about working less and making more, you’ll surprise yourself at how some of the solutions might have been staring you in the face all along.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Overhaul the way you work.If you haven’t identified specific parts of your day for certain activities, you may be working harder than you need to. Reserve specific days of the week for clients, marketing, and employee time. One of my clients allowed her employees to interrupt her any time figuring it was part of her open door policy. She was often distracted and they didn’t have her full attention. With each interruption, it took her twice as long to refocus on her task at hand leaving her to work more hours but accomplish less. Instead, she identified an internal set of questions each employee needed to ask themselves before going to her. Then, she identified specific walk in times each day and this allowed her to field the questions more efficiently. Her employees also became more efficient in resolving their issues and appreciated the focused time with her. She also found more time at the end of the week helping her to concentrate on the most important strategies.

2. Outsource.You may also need to let go of some of the things that are holding you down and preventing you from focusing on those client and revenue-generating activities you should be working on. Make a list of all of those tasks you do that may not generate revenue but are still necessary. Add up the time you spend on them. You may be surprised at just how much time you can save outsourcing your necessary but routine tasks to someone who is faster and more efficient at it.

3. Manage Your Energy.Working intensely for a short period of time can have you accomplishing more than working for days distracted and drained. Don’t spread tasks that may take a few hours over several days. Instead, finish it in one sitting and get it off your desk. Remember to shut off the phone and email alert to avoid the disruption triggers.

4. Implement a 24/7 Lead Generation System.The internet never sleeps, so why not use it to your advantage? Create a lead generation system that operates 24 hours a day and 7 days a week and brings in clients automatically. A lead generation system is designed for your specific market. After all, where do people go who are looking for solutions? The internet. A lead generation system pulls in clients, educates them on the solutions you provide, and helps to educate and pre-qualify them so they self-select into your services and/or products. For example, offer a free giveaway on your website that people need to sign up for (with their name and email address). It’s like having a sales person 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without the expenses associated with hiring an employee.

5. Work Leveraged.Many consultants, coaches, chiropractors and event planners make the mistake of having a business model that trades their hours for dollars. Finding ways to leverage the way you work with your clients can bring in choices in the way your clients work with you as well as a new revenue source. Instead of working one on one, consider how you could work with many of your clients or customers all at one time.

One client of mine who is a consultant used to only work with her clients one on one. This was her only option. They either worked with her or didn’t and went away. This is what I refer to as the Yes or No-and-Go option. Once she realized she could work with her clients in a group setting and offered other choices for people to work with her, she leveraged her time, energy, and resources. Her income soared as she identified recurring, passive and leveraged income just by answering one question: Where can leverage be found?

When you shift the way you work by identifying activities to outsource, cluster, leverage, delegate or systematize, you’ll notice you have more time and energy to grow your business because you’ve freed yourself from the mundane and focus on the few strategies that generate revenue. You’ll find that this shift helps you to build more wealth and keeps you focused on what’s most important. Along with an increased energy, time and income, you’ll also notice that you start to build massive momentum in your business.