Episode 130
Work Smarter, Not Harder
Mitche Graf is a best-selling author, a public speaker and an amateur gardener. He has been a passionate serial entrepreneur for over 3 decades; from selling used bicycle parts out of his garage in the seventh grade to running three companies today, he prides himself on knowing how to squeeze every drop of potential out of his endeavors.
He also knows that life is short - too short not to make every minute count. He's figured out how to work with what he calls the 24/7 Mentality... not the 24 hours per day, 7 days per week that most of us think of, but rather 24 hours per week, 7 months per year. The rest of the time is HIS, to do whatever he chooses. It may be to work on a new hobby, or maybe to bump up some of his existing projects a bit, or it could be to spend time with his family, because they are the reason for all that he does.
According to Mitche, the way to do this is through "systems efficiency". Knowing that the Pareto Principle states that you derive 80% of your results from 20% of your activity, he's pushed that a bit further and he's discovered the 90/10 rule. The efficiencies come from identifying the 10% of activities that you HAVE to do, and delegating the rest or otherwise removing them from your day. You do this by designing your lifestyle first and your work activities around that lifestyle.
His advice for success: Follow the Ivy Lee method for productivity. At the end of each day, write out 6 activities or tasks that you want to complete the next day and prioritize them in order of importance. At the start of the next day, work at the first task until it's completed, then move on to the next. Any tasks left unfinished at the end of the day are moved to the list for the next day.
To get in touch with Mitche or to find out more about him, please visit his website:
