Friday Feature: 10 Ways to Work Less and Get More Done

Today, I could not get started. The only thing on my schedule was a delightful (no, not sarcasm) phone call with an old friend at 11AM. After that, I should have been ready to jump into my day.

Only I wasn't.

This happens sometimes, and I've gotten better at just going with it. I used to catastrophize, somehow believing these bursts of non-energy were the beginning of the end of my motivation for all time. Luckily, experience has proven to me that is not the case. Instead, these "I think I'll just sit here a while longer" spells are usually a sign that I've gone too long without downtime. Too many days where my body was sitting still but my brain was still going full steam ahead lured me into thinking I hadn't done much when my body knew otherwise.

We need down time, but we also love productivity. Luckily, as I've asserted here before, downtime plays a key role in productivity. In fact, people who work more than 55 hours a week don't actually get more done than people who work fewer hours.

55 hours a week is a lot of hours. Imagine spending that much time on things we truly wanted to do.

Or, better yet, stop imagining and actually do the things. In his article "10 Ways to Work Less and Get More Done," author Travis Bradberry cites relaxation, exercise and disconnecting as three of the things that actually make us more productive.

Whether you're looking forward to a productive weekend or dreading that same ongoing productivity, check out the article. You might just change your plans.