How to Rethink Work Hours for Improved Results

In enterprise sales, less hustle can mean more success. I always tell my clients: what got you here won't necessarily get you there. When you're knee-deep in mid-market or commercial sales, putting in more hours seems like the way to go. Hustling often correlates with better results. But everything changes when you hit the enterprise or strategic level. Suddenly, more hours can actually lead to diminishing returns. Here's the deal: at this level, it's not just about grinding out more work. It's about using your noggin. You need to strategize over your deals, dive deeply into them, and really think things through. It's where the shift from working harder to working smarter truly happens. The magic bullet here is white space. Yep, giving yourself ample space throughout your day to think about your deals. This quiet time doesn't just transform you into a sharper seller, it carves out room for the important things. Whether it's spending quality time with loved ones or finally diving into hobbies you've shelved for later. Here are a few practical steps to embrace this shift: ↳ Go for a walk during the afternoon slump (you aren't really productive anyway) ↳ Give yourself permission to take time to actually THINK ↳ Use this time to let your mind wander about your deals ↳ You'll come up with new ideas and solutions to your problems By creating this white space, you not only boost your sales performance but also cultivate a more balanced, fulfilling life.

You don’t need 40+ hours a week to build a sustainable, real business. I’m a mom of 3. And let me be transparent about my work hours: I work from 9:30 to 3:00—only on school days. Snow days? Sick days? I’m off. School breaks and summers? Just a few hours a week. Every month? I take a full day off. Every night? I sleep for 8 hours. All this means I work about 48% fewer hours than a typical full-time professional—and sleep more than most. Yet over the past years, I’ve: - Published a book that gets really positive feedback from ideal audience - Earned a trademark for my coaching method - Been named one of Business Insider’s Most Innovative Career Coaches - Helped women in 10+ countries transform their careers and lives - Raised emotionally thriving children - Brought and renovated a dream home with my husband Here are 10 practices that helped me embrace "less is more", "slow is fast": 𝟭. 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗛𝗜 𝗭𝗼𝗻𝗲 Use your natural talents fully. Science shows that when you operate in your zone, you achieve more with less time—and more joy. 𝟮. 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝗲𝘀 ↳ I batch meetings Tue–Thur, use Mondays for review and planning, and reserve Fridays for creation. ↳ When I need deep work, I block my calendars. 𝟯. 𝗦𝗮𝘆 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗡𝗢 I’ve learned to say no to misaligned calls, tasks, non-ideal clients, and even “good” ideas. Honestly, I still feel guilty at times. Yet I learnt that’s a sign of growth. 𝟰. 𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗽𝗲𝗿 𝗱𝗮𝘆 Forget 10 priorities. I name ONE core goal daily. (20% of your actions drive 80% of your results—Pareto’s Law.) 𝟱. 𝗥𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 ↳ I use smart tools / services (from calendar scheduling to grocery delivery). ↳ I have frequent conversations with my husband for priority alignment and mutual support. ↳ I involve my kids in house work. 𝟲. 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 I don’t chase attention. Instead, I prioritize excellence. 𝟳. 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝘆 𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗱𝗮𝗶𝗹𝘆 ↳ Each night, my kids and I revisit our favorite moments of the day. This rewires our brains for happiness. ↳ I release negativity, if any, through journaling—sometimes with a little help from ChatGPT. 𝟴. 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘁𝘆 I create “white space” in my week to breathe, think, and wander. 🧠 Research shows that some of our best ideas and problem-solving breakthroughs happen not when we push—but when we pause. 𝟵. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝗪𝗲𝗲𝗸𝗹𝘆 𝗛𝗜 𝗦𝘂𝗺𝗺𝗶𝘁 Every Monday, I review my wins, and set one intention for the week. This way, I'm not overwhelmed, and clear and optimistic instead. 𝟭𝟬. 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 ↳ I’ve worked with the right mentors to short-cut my success. ↳ I hire home services (cleaners, landscapers...) to protect my time for my priorities. ♻️ Repost to help other women and mothers reclaim their time—and still succeed.

You're losing precious time. Here's how to win it back as a busy professional: You're balancing career growth, family time, and side projects - feeling stretched thin. But here's the truth: Success isn't about working more hours. It's about maximizing every minute. 𝗛𝗲𝗿𝗲'𝘀 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼𝗽 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗳𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗮𝗹𝗹 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘀 (𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆): 1. Power Hour Mornings ↳Wake up 60 minutes before the family for focused work on your most important goal 2. Strategic Time Blocking ↳Schedule untouchable blocks for career deep work, family time, and side projects 3. Stack Your Success ↳Combine activities: family walks during calls, learning during commutes, networking at kid events 4. Weekly Command Center ↳Sunday night: map your week's key meetings, family events, and project milestones 5. Automate + Delegate ↳Use VAs, meal services, and automation tools to buy back your time 6. Ruthless Prioritization ↳Use the "Hell Yeah or No" rule - if it's not advancing your goals, it's a no 7. Digital Boundaries ↳Check email 3x daily, use app blockers, batch communications 8. Energy Management ↳Match tasks to your energy - deep work in peak hours, family time when most present 9. Systems Over Willpower ↳Create family systems, shared calendars, and routines that run on autopilot 10. Quick Win Windows ↳Keep a "15-minute task list" to maximize small gaps between commitments Remember: It's not about perfect balance, it's about intentional integration 💪 ➕ Follow Nico for more systems for busy professionals. ♻ Repost to help your network.

In leadership, excellence isn’t just about driving outcomes—it’s about setting the tone for balance, accountability, and sustainable growth, both for yourself and your team. One area many leaders overlook? The power of personal responsibility in managing time, energy, and recovery. Here’s a truth that might surprise the workaholics out there: research from Stanford shows that productivity peaks at around 50 hours per week. After that, productivity sharply declines, and at 55 hours and beyond, it plummets. The takeaway? Rest isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity for high performance. How can leaders embody this and inspire their teams to do the same? Here are four actionable insights: 1️⃣ The facts don’t lie—rest leads to better results. By capping work hours and prioritizing recovery, leaders not only preserve their energy but also model a sustainable pace for their teams. 2️⃣ Front-load your most important tasks before lunch. Tackle what truly moves the needle early in the day to ensure those big wins are achieved while energy levels are high. 3️⃣ Schedule 15 minutes of “white space” At the end of your workday to mentally transition from work to home. This simple practice helps you close the door on work stress and fully show up for your loved ones. 4️⃣ “Do Not Disturb” mode Put your phone in another room when you’re with your family or unwinding. This small act of discipline ensures you’re fully present for the people who matter most. Leadership isn’t just about what you do—it’s about how you do it. Follow The Daily Leader for more leadership tips! #LeadershipExcellence #PersonalResponsibility #HighPerformanceHabits #LeadershipGrowth #TeamSuccess #WorkLifeBalance #RestForResults

What if you achieved more by working less? Time doesn't equal success — I once believed more time equaled better output. I was wrong. Working 80+ hours doesn't show commitment. It shows broken systems. The hardest thing is stepping back to ask: "Is this necessary?" Most people fill time with busy work to feel productive. But productivity means ruthlessly eliminating the unnecessary. Ask: "What one thing would make everything else easier or irrelevant?" Then focus there with intensity. I've accomplished more in focused 4-hour blocks than in scattered 12-hour days. You need better thinking, not more hours. Time is finite. Energy is precious. Attention is your greatest asset. Protect them fiercely. Your best ideas won't come from exhaustion. They'll arrive when your mind has space to wander.

She stopped replying to work emails after 6 PM—and here's what happened. They used to pride themselves on being available 24/7. Emails at 10 PM? No problem. Weekend calls? Bring it on. But over time, they noticed: - Increased fatigue - Decreased productivity - Strained personal relationships One day, they decided enough was enough. They set clear boundaries: - No emails after 6 PM - Weekends are off-limits - Vacations are for recharging The initial anxiety was real. Would they miss something urgent? Would their team feel unsupported? But here's what actually happened: - Improved Productivity: They were more focused during work hours. - Better Decision-Making: A rested mind led to better choices. - Enhanced Team Empowerment: Their team became more autonomous. - Personal Life Flourished: Stronger relationships and hobbies rediscovered. Setting boundaries didn't hinder their career. It enhanced it. Burnout is not a badge of honor. Lead by example. Encourage your team to find balance. How do you maintain work-life harmony? Share your strategies!

Too often, I find myself working crazy hours and feeling like my business is running me instead of the other way around. To keep my sanity, I had to learn some strategies to cut down on my work hours while keeping my business results high. Let me share a few things that made a difference for me. First off, I had to take a hard look at how I was spending my time. I realized I was stuck playing every role in my business - from salesperson to accountant to janitor. Sound familiar? The game-changer was learning to step back and work on my business, not just in it. This meant that I started with knowing where I spent my time and whether it was a core skill or not. If it wasn't a core skill, my job was to find someone else to do that particular activity. Last week, we talked about why you want to reduce the hours you work. Here are some ideas for how you can do it. Here's what worked for me: 1. 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞, 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐭𝐞! I know it's tough to let go but trust me, it's worth it. Start by identifying tasks that don't need your personal touch. For me, that meant hiring a great operations manager. It took a few tries to find the right fit, but once I did, it freed up so much of my time. This is the most important and hardest skill you will ever learn. 2. 𝐅𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡𝐬. What are you truly best at? For me, it was a big-picture strategy and client relationships. I made those my priorities and found ways to hand off everything else. 3. 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐬𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬. This was a game-changer and impossible until I found a simple way to do it. By creating clear, repeatable processes for common tasks, I could easily train others to handle them. It took some upfront work but paid off big time in the long run. The biggest ah-ha was when I had the people doing the job document the job. 4. 𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐭𝐨𝐨𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲. There are so many great apps and software solutions out there that can automate routine tasks. It's worth spending some time and money to find the ones that work for your business. In our business, we use ClickUp to manage all our OKRs and client activities. 5. 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐚𝐲 "𝐧𝐨." This was tough for me at first, but I realized that not every opportunity was worth my time. Being selective about what I took on helped me focus on what mattered. When I learned to say no, I made room for saying yes to the right things. Remember, it's not about working harder but working smarter. It took me a while to get there. I learned that I could run a successful business while having a life outside of work. Does anyone else have tips to share? I'd love to hear what's worked for you and what hasn't.

The U.S. Navy had always followed a 7:30-to-4:30 schedule even at sea, but one forward-thinking sailor noticed something... “No real work gets done after lunch. Why not knock it out early and be done by 1 PM?” His proposal sounded radical. But he had a great point. 1) Beat the commute. By starting at 6 AM and ending at 1 PM, the crew moved their shift entirely outside local rush hours—no more crawling in traffic at the start or slogging home through gridlock. (Plus, by starting early, you get the best parking on base.) 2) Slash fuel costs. Fewer idle minutes on the highway meant measurable savings for the sailor's personal commuting costs...saving money and reducing the frustration of sitting in rush hour traffic. 4) Gain life back. With afternoons free, sailors could tackle personal priorities: doctor appointments, family time, homework help, or even just a quiet cup of coffee. At first, the officers were skeptical. But USS Benfold gave it a shot. And the results spoke for themselves: → Productivity soared. Seven straight hours of uninterrupted focus beat fragmented mornings and sluggish afternoons. → Morale skyrocketed. The crew appreciated the extra daylight hours to pursue hobbies, errands, or simply unwind, boosting overall engagement. → Work–life balance transformed. Married sailors got to spend more time with their families, and single sailors had more time to work out or spend time taking distance learning courses or studying for their next advancement exam. Sometimes the best solutions come from the people closest to the problem. As a leader, your job isn’t to have all the answers. It’s to recognize a “what if…” when you hear it, and give it a chance to prove itself.