Work Less, Make More, published by JohnWiley & Sons, is based on White’s 10-step program. White was the founder of a coaching firm, JWC Group, and she created this 10-step program to help her clients redesign their lives to live a more fulfilling life.
The first lesson, if you are currently stressed out, is to determine what is stopping you from living the life you want. After all, you are the person responsible for your life. What is causing you to either work too many hours or not earn enough money during the hours you work? And if you are stressed out right now, begin by taking better care of yourself so that you do not show up appearing stressed out when you interact with your customers or clients.
Create a vision of the life you want to live. Be specific in the number of hours you want to work and the amount of money you want to make. Get a journal and begin using it to monitor your progress in creating a vision for your life.
Second, focus on only doing the things you do best. By focusing on what you already do best, you have a better chance of being paid more and reaching the income target in your vision statement. Become a master at what you do best and you can earn even more.
Third, focus on doing less but doing what really matters to get paid. Follow the 80/20 Rule and focus your attention on the twenty percent that pays you the most. When serving a customer, focus on the top three things that matter the most to that customer.
Remember to eliminate, delegate and automate in those areas where this can be done. Negotiate to have someone else do tasks that are not a priority for you.
Fourth, time is your most important asset so spend some time thinking about how you are using your time. Some people are able to get more done when they reorganize their workweek to achieve more results. White suggests that you rearrange your schedule so that you have laser days (start with at least two) where you focus on the top three activities you do. Also, schedule some support days where you schedule administrative tasks like customer service, creating proposals, paying bills, etc. Third, schedule at least one free day where you do no work at all but instead do what you enjoy, such as hobbies, sports, shopping, beach days, etc.
White suggests that you focus an entire day on each activity. Do not combine laser activities with support day activities because it takes additional time to refocus when we switch activities. Be certain to schedule all the stuff on your “to do” list into discrete time slots on your calendar
Fifth, say “yes” to yourself and “no” to other people’s requests on your time.
Sixth, find a way to use leverage by duplicating yourself. Duplicating is not delegating administrative tasks, it is finding someone who is just as good as you to get the work done.
An alternative to getting another person to do the work is to use technology and automate the work where possible.
Seventh, add value where you can so that you become the most valuable person to someone else’s success. What you deliver should be more valuable than anyone else’s product or service in the marketplace. You can do this by focusing on them, not yourself. Also, solve their problems, be a resource for others, and make your work memorable. Spend more time with your most important customers.
Eighth, your creativity will determine your ultimate success. If you continue to do the same things, you will get the same results. Thus, you need to use your creativity to think of new solutions to earn more. Develop new ways of doing things. Create ideas to fill a need. Create an inspiring environment that is comfortable and pleasant to work in.
Ninth, focus on generating more income. If you create the highest value, you can ask for the highest price. Money grows by time and rate of earnings; thus, you must save some of the money you earn if you want compound interest to work for you. You can create more income in many ways. Some of the ways people earn more money are by creating products to earn royalties, buying properties to have rental income, creating and selling consumable products, and by selling a business that they grew into a profitable enterprise.
Tenth, take the time to develop relationships with everyone that you come into contact with. These people could include customers, clients, neighbors, business associates, accountants, lawyers, employees, friends, children, spouses, and everyone. Money exchanges hands through people.
Overall, if you own or manage a business and have control over your schedule, these ten tips can help a person earn more money. But most people don’t have full control over their schedules so they will need to pick and choose which of these tips they can implement.
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Copyright @ 2017 Christine Esser
This book was purchased, not a gift.
