How I cut 6 hours from my work day with these 7 tips
Photo by Autumn_Leaf
I will not teach you how to work 4 hours in a week. If you want to build a self-automated business that frees you up from work and allows you to live a lifestyle-design kind of life, then this is not the post for you. Though I have made each work day 6 hours more effective, I still work my 70+ hours a week.
Why do I do it?
Because I’m building an internet empire here. My team and I want to make Viralogy the next Facebook or LinkedIn. In an internet company, we constantly have to evolve our product to beat out the competition and we need to consistently market out our site so that we exponentially grow in users.
Yu-kai and I live by a simple principle: Once you learn how to work the 4 hour work week, take those principles and work 70 hours a week. We make sure that the 70 hours we put in a week are highly effective and are consistently pushing the company forward.
The following are concrete and actionable tips about how I took my 70 hour work week, reduced them to 20 hours, and then bumped up my work time to a full 70 hours of pure effectiveness. You will be able to utilize these tips immediately and see an increase in your work effectiveness instantly.
Optimize your work life and you will have a much better chance of making your startup company succeed!
And yes, I do make time for friends and family throughout my week 
The simple fixes
1. Use stealth or invisible mode for Gchat, Aim, and Skype
Though I used Gchat sporadically throughout my day, I knew that it was cutting into my work-time effectiveness. Every time you receive a chat, you can’t help but engage in a 5-10 minute conversation with the other person. I decided to document the time I spent on Gchat and this is what I found out:
Project: Write a blog post
- On days that I had Gchat open, it took me on average 2.9 hours to completely write a blog post and publish it
- On days that I was invisible on Gchat, it took me on average 2.4 hours to completely write a blog post and publish it
I was 17% more effective in writing a blog post when my Gchat was on invisible mode. This means that if I work 11 hours in a day, I could potentially shave off 1.87 hours if I removed Gchat from my work time.
Time Saved: 1.8 hours
2. Turn off your Tweet Deck, Twhirl, or Seesmic Desktop
Twitter is my crack. I can spend a ridiculous amount of time on Twitter just reading what everyone is Tweeting and linking out to every link that they recommend. This is dangerous for the startup entrepreneur, so I documented my effectiveness when I had Tweet Deck turned on compared to when I had it turned off. Here are my results:
Project: Edit video for Awesome Revolution
- On days that I had Tweet Deck turned on, it took me on average 4.0 hours to completely edit and publish a video
- On days that I had Tweet Deck turned off, it took me on average 3.6 hours to completely edit and publish a video
(Times include exporting and ripping which can take a ridiculously long amount of time)
I was 10% more effective with my time when I had Tweet Deck turned off compared to when I had it turned on. In an 11 hour work day, this means I can potentially shave off 1.1 hours of ineffective time.
Time Saved: 1.1 hours
Effectiveness versus Efficiency
3. Clump emails into batches
I used to LOVE having Gmail open 24/7. Nothing made me feel more effective than to answer every single email that came in immediately. At the end of every night, I would have a completely clean inbox that would allow me to sleep quite soundly and satisfied. However, how truly effective was I by answering every email that came in immediately?
I decided to test how long it took me to answer a days worth of emails when answering immediately, compared to batching emails and answering them only 3 times a day. This is what I found out:
Project: Answer a days worth of emails
- On days that I answered and composed each email immediately, it took me on average 2.2 hours to clear out my inbox and send all necessary emails
- On days that I answered and composed emails on 3 set times in a day (11am, 3pm, and 12am), it took me on average 1.4 hours to clear out my inbox and send all necessary emails
I was 36% more effective with my time when I sent emails out in batches instead of immediately as they came in. This means that I now spend .8 less hours a day on emails.
Time Saved: .8 hours
4. Focus all your attention on 1 task and don’t move on until you finish
I naturally do this on my own. In contrast, people like Yu-kai Chou naturally switch from one task to another freely like some form of ADD. I decided to measure if I actually was more effective by focusing on one project at a time and how much more effective I actually was. Here are my results:
Project: Build relationship with bloggers
- On days that I contacted bloggers while working on other projects, it took me on average 1.3 hours to contact everyone on my target list
- On days that I contacted bloggers while focusing solely on that 1 project, it took me on average 1.1 hours to contact everyone on my target list
I was 15% more effective with my time when I focused on a project compared to sporadically working on several projects at a time. In an 11 hour work day, this means I could potentially become 1.7 hours more effective with my work time.
So how can you discipline yourself to just focus on 1 task? Instead of writing a completely new post to answer this question, read Leo’s advice here at Zen Habits about How NOT to Multitask.
Time Saved: 1.7 hours
Prepare yourself the night before
5. Create a Must-Do-or-Die List
Every night before I go to sleep, I create a Must-Do-or-Die List. No, I’m not talking about any regular To-Do List; I’m talking about a list of 5 core objectives that you must accomplish the next day. Only focus on what is necessary and what will truly push your company forward.
I compared my effectiveness between days I wrote a Must-Do-or-Die List to days I didn’t write the list. These are my results:
- On days that I did not have a Must-Do-or-Die List, I spent an average of .6 hours figuring out what’s important and what I need to do next
- On days that I had my Must-Do-or-Die List, I spent no excess time figuring out what were the truly important things I needed to get done that day
I noticed that on days I didn’t have my list, I would spend a good .6 hours each day thinking about what I should do next. This is what killed my effectiveness and added wasted work time.
Time Saved: .6 hours
6. Create a do NOT do list
I carry the same do NOT do list around with me everyday. The simple list reads like this:
- Do NOT go on Gchat…
- Do NOT go on Facebook…
- Do NOT turn on the television…
- Do NOT turn on Tweet Deck…
- … until your Must-Do-or-Die List is done
Whenever I get the urge to turn on these applications, I take out my List and think about what is truly important in my life. I love building relationships online and talking to my friends; however, building a successful startup company is my main priority. Plus, I can always log on to all of these applications once my List is complete.
Time Saved: Prevents me from engaging in habits that inhibit effectiveness
Expert mode
7. Cut sleep to 6 hours a day
You do NOT need 8 hours of sleep per night! If you are to become maximally effective in your startup career, you need to train your body to only sleep 6 hours a night. I’ve tried to cut it to 5 hours before, but the result was an afternoon nap and I would end up binge sleeping on certain days.
The most effective way that I have found to cut your sleeping hours is to FORCE yourself to wake up early. I do the following to force myself to wake up early:
- I schedule early morning meetings. I schedule meetings at 8am or 9am so that I have to wake up or I look like a fool because I missed a meeting
- I only set 1 alarm and disable snooze. If you only set 1 alarm, then you know you won’t have a backup alarm to wake you up after your snooze. You either wake up with the first alarm, or end up wasting the entire morning.
Doing these two simple things has allowed me to sleep 6 hours every day of the week. For more effective tips, read Steve Pavlina’s tips on How to Become an Early Riser.
Time Saved: Doesn’t save time but gives you more time to enjoy your life!
Total Time Saved Per Day: 6 Hours!
—
One of the biggest challenges we face in the startup life is ourselves. Those who are undisciplined and unfocused will be beat by those who do have self-control and can focus on what’s truly important. Use these tips and create a more effective work life!
Great post! You should try polyphasic sleep
hahaha, I’ve heard of that. “The sleep diet”
There’s just no way I can go 4 hours, sleep 20 minutes, and then go another 4 hours. I think it’ll just destroy your personal life and kill your health
Good advice Jun - they say multitasking is the spice of life (and it is) but you have to be able to fully dedicate yourself to things without distractions as much as possible. And yes, I need to take some of my own advice when it comes to this.
Closing email, Twitter, and other social networking is big - it’s a huge distraction (sometimes in a good way) but it can and does severely limit productivity. When I write a blog post, I dot the best I can to close the internet and type it out on word in one sitting. If I’m blogging, checking email, responding to a tweet, watching TV - by the time I get back to a blog (or whatever I might be doing) my mind is totally scattered. You produce your best work when you give something your undivided attention.
Last - list making is HUGE for me, I’ve written about it on my own blog, and I am a nut when it comes to list. I have a list for every day of my life, it’s almost disgusting - but I need that to fall back on, to keep me guided, and to provide self-affirmation. There is nothing more satisfying than sitting down for a couple hours and crossing 10 things off a list, even if it’s just ‘email mom’ ‘pay rent’ all the way up to ‘draft business plan’ ‘leave comment on so-and-so’s blog’. Like I said, it’s a little obsessive perhaps, but it keeps me straight.
Great post - and good advice for everyone to take in and learn from!
Thanks Matt.
I try to keep my list very simple and core. Different things work for different people, so if you have a 10-point less, more power to you.
Yea, writing a post with gmail open is horrible! There’s just no way one can fully concentrate
I’ve been trying to do the cut down on sleep. It’s hasn’t worked so far. I end up sleeping through the alarm. I actually did not hear it for 45 minutes. The remote to hit snooze was still up on top of the dresser (which is really tall, so it is an effort to get it). I’ll keep trying. I also agree with turning off the chats and twitter, but it’s so hard. Twitter completely feeds my personality which has a desire to be in the middle of everything and want to always know what is going on. If I turn it off then I will miss out on something important or cool, or both!!!
Great post!
Try getting a louder alarm and placing it across your room. If it’s across the room, you can’t just hit the snooze button and go back to sleep. You have to physically get out of your bed to turn it off.
That simple action will get you our of bed
I wake up to the radio, so I’ll have to set the volume louder. The remote and the alarm are placed so I have to get out of bed to get them. hence I knew I had slept through the alarm. The remote was still in its place.
It seems like ‘Clocky alarm clock’ is the perfect solution for that
http://www.nandahome.com/products/clocky/
Cheers,
Pritesh
http://twitter.com/mehta1p
Pritesh!! HAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHA!!!! I just fell over laughing. That alarm clock is awesome, but please don’t ever get it for me. I will not be happy!
Good post, Jun. You have provided simple, yet effective tips on how to cut down time every day. It seems that no matter how many things you do thruout the day, if you do it effectively you always have time for yourself and your company.
For me, reading various blog posts and articles eat most of my time. After that, posting comments (just like I am doing it here!) also consumes more time. So, I have decided not to read every blog articles available in the planet as most of them are not useful to me. I have also decided to have time slots for reading blog posts and make useful comments on them.
As Matt said, to-do list is the must. I always carry a small diary and look into it whenever I have time and go thru what I have planned to do day-to-day. It is really helpful eventhough sometimes I have to write down small items like, ‘finish book’, or ‘check credit card balance’, or ‘call a friend as today is his birthday’.
I guess, everyone can cut down time thruout the day. We just have to find out what suits our life-style and what type of tools we should use effectively. For some, iPhone is good for a list, and for me, a small diary is enough. Tools are not important but HOW effectively you utilize available tools is the main thing to win at the end of the day!
Cheers,
Pritesh
http://twitter.com/mehta1p
Right on Pritesh. Reading blogs and writing comments can take a lot of time. However, if that is part of your day, then you make time for it. There are ways to be more effective.
I’m sure you use a Reader to keep track of all of your RSS feeds. Also, set a time limit for yourself. Limit yourself to just 1 hour of blog reading and commenting. Once your hour is up, you must move on to other things.
If you limit your time, you’ll only focus on the best blog posts and leave a comment when you are truly inspired
great post. I agree with all those tips except #7 check out http://www.flobeds.com/sleepWSJ.htm
If Jeff Bezos has time for a full 8 hours of rejuvenating sleep, I can take that much time out of my day too! My favorite quote in the article: “I’m more alert and I think more clearly” as a result, Mr. Bezos says. “I just feel so much better all day long if I’ve had eight hours.”
I would add #8 to the list of closing out of your RSS reader throughout the day and stop reading unnecessary blogs. I cut the blogs in my RSS reader from 150+ to a little over 40 blogs I keep up with and I get so much more stuff done throughout the day.
Also check out http://www.rescuetime.com/ to see how much time you really are wasting throughout the day, set limits for yourself, and know where all your time is going online.
Very good tips bro! I still think 8 hours of sleep is way too much. You’ll be spending 1/3 of your life in bed!
If I’m spending time in bed… I wouldn’t want to spend it sleeping
Great post, Jun. Those are very useful tip to do thing efficient.
I especially like the turn off Gchat, tweetdeck part, this article made me realized that how many time I’ve spent on those application. Only check my email account three times per day sounds so good to me now!
To-do-or-die list, another brilliant idea, make you focus on things to do per day, I like it.
Somehow I don’t like the idea of cut your sleep time, health is very important for an entrepreneur. I wonder 6 hours is enough for you. Anyway, take care and wish you have a productive day!
Hey, if Yu-kai can start exercising, you can start cutting sleep time
Yu-kai started to exercise because he realized that health is important, which is very good for him.
As to me, maintain an eight hour sleep is the basics to keep me healthy, so maybe sleep time is the last thing I want to cut to be productive. Right now, I will try to stay on focus.
Jun,
Love your list. Completely agree with #1-6. I also operate in stealth mode.
However, I strongly disagree with #7. I feel that cutting your sleep time is dangerous in ways we might not even feel on a day-to-day basis. Sleep heals us and protects us from illnesses and disease. Sounds a little over the top, I know, but there are numerous studies out there (do I even need to link?) that have researched this.
Then again, there is also this study: http://health.ucsd.edu/news/2002/02_08_Kripke.html
Says 5-6 hours is fine and we might die sooner if we sleep longer/shorter
But wait! Then there is this study: http://health.usnews.com/usnews/health/healthday/071204/7-or-8-hours-of-sleep-best-for-health.htm
Says 7-8 hours is best or we’ll die faster
So, who knows?
Amy
Oh wow, I guess it’s not good if we die faster!
Then again… I don’t really want to live past 80. I mean by then, you’re all old and wrinkly and can’t really function in society.
I would prefer to sleep less in my youth and enjoy every single waking hour of my life
Great post!
One thing you need to consider is if the side “distractions” are productive or not. If you are doing 3 things at once, maybe you slow task A by 20%, but you get task B and C done too. If B and C are just unproductive activities then it is not worth it. If they are, you need to compare multitasking with tasks A B C and also knocking off all tasks but doing one at a time.
Waking up early is very useful
Great post.
The turning off the technology (Gmail, outlook, twitter, etc…) was huge for me when I finished up my dissertation. It took a huge amount of mental focus and I just wrote in circles for months frustrating myself and my family.
Then I resolved that when I was working on the dissertation I’d go offline. Within a couple of weeks I had made substantial progress. I followed that rule all the way through to the end and knocked the thing out over about two additional months. I suspect that it would have taken at least 6-8 months more if I hadn’t done it offline and the product would have been inferior.
I don’t find I have to go offline for everything I do. Blog posts, no problem. But for anything that really takes full concentration, offline is a must.
For the disciplined, going completely offline is not needed. Just going on stealth mode is enough for me.
I do have friends that are ridiculously addicted to the internet and its social features. For them, going as far as removing applications is a must
Well I use Twhirl (it’s my twitter desktop client of choice; well seesmic too)… Anyway, I don’t close it but I do minimize it and respond to replies and replies only during certain times of the day. This way, I don’t waste away time and I can be more productive.
With respect to email, I definitely do clump email into batches. Since doing that, I’m so much more productive it’s not even funny! One application that I like to use is AwayFind (I have their free version but it works). I get to step away from my email and give my full attention to everything else.
That’s great to hear Ricardo! Clumping email together is astonishingly effective.
Hey, if you can use Twhirl without getting distracted, more power to you!
Hey Jun,
I came across an article you wrote on Dan Schwabel’s blog about not getting a job. I’m a recent graduate of a smaller lesser known MBA program, and the job search hasn’t been easy for most of my classmates. I’ve put all my time into building my blogs and social media skillset and ironically (or not) that got me some interviews. I really like what you had to say in your article and I”m going to include you on one of my posts where I feature blogs that every MBA student should read, later this week. Just added you to my RSS feed. Great blog.
Hey Srinivas, thanks for coming to check out my blog. I look forward to seeing my blog featured on your site.
Let me know if you need any info from me and make sure to send me the link! Thanks
Great post! I think the Web 2.0 generation definitely needs to read this; they can get way more done!
wow, I need to follow all of these tips. I am bad at wasting time surfing on the internet or doing research that ends up being research that doesn’t pertain to the blog post or project I am currently working on.
I think the main theme is: stay focused throughout the day and you will become a much more productive worker! Imagine how much time is wasted in the corporate world, and those people don’t care because they are still collecting their paycheck. However, entrepreneurs don’t a steady paycheck, so time is definitely money!
Love the post! As a recent college graduate and pursuing entrepreneur organizing my time has been a real challenge for me, especially when I operate out of my own home office. I have noticed that social networking websites have taken a lot of small segments of my time throughout the day and engaging small conversations will take you off focus. Thanks for the advice!
Be sure to Twitter me!
http://twitter.com/JacePerry
No problem Jace. Keep working hard and know that it’s all about patience and perseverance.
Cool site. So you’re a freelance designer I see. Good luck!
Good and useful article. However, cutting on sleep is not an advice for everyone. Different people need different amounts of sleep. I personally have tried to cut down and start getting blistering headaches, start forgetting things, become very irritable, etc. All in all miserable situation.
Evaluate what your body needs, but 7-8 hours has been established as a standard by people with PhDs and MDs ;). It may also depend on which hours of the day/night you sleep. Hours before midnight seem more productive.
At any rate, without serious research I find dispensing advice to cut down on sleep dangerous.
You hit the nail on the head. Most of the solutions dealt the problems I am facing and me in the early stages of my entrepreneurship. Thanks a lot. Definitely needs a retweet!
Great article… awesome tips indeed. 6 hours sleep? mmmm, I love my sleep, thought it’s 8 hours max…
Will try the 6 hours
Great post Jun!
Gchat does take a little too much time out of my day…
it’s funny because i just realized that tonight and thought about it before i read this!
you confirmed my chat invisible decision!
skype does too!
Keep up the great work here bro! I love what you are doing…
subscribing to your rss feed now.
I would love to chat w/ you sometime and get to know you better!
David
Cool article.
Might want to check your math though.
17% + 10% + 36% + 15% does not = 55% (cutting 6 hours from an 11 hour day).
More clearly:
We can see that time spent before was 11 hours (2.9+4.0+2.2+1.3+0.6).
After applying these principles time spent was 8.5 hours (2.4+3.6+1.4+1.1+0)
Total time saved: 2.5 hours
Still impressive.
Hey man, GREAT POST! I love it. Looks like a lot of us are so bombarded with everything.
My blackberry is my problem. But, ,it is my life line to work when I’m not in the office.
FS
Glad I was directed to your blog today, or I wouldn’t have read this post. ^^
The only thing I follow in this list, well it’s already a habit, is #7. My body’s naturally ready to function again after 6 hours of sleep. I really need to work on the rest. I’ll try experimenting and observing myself to see how I can efficiently make use of my time.
Thanks for sharing these guidelines. Read your post 6 months late, but I’m still gonna learn from it.
Your personal example, is one of the best I’ve seen in the last months. I tried, I am still trying to reduce one by one, the factors that are ruining my “zen” to-do spirit, and I will succeed. That, thanks to you and all other examples!
KEWL! Great post for sure. But as many of those above, I do not agree with cutting on sleep .. oh that is way to hard and bad on productivity. I’m just not 110 percent that I am usually when you do not get a good night’s and definitely more than 6 hours of sleep.
look up this: The evidence indicates that a person who regularly sleeps less than seven hours a night functions as badly as someone who hasn’t slept for one to three days, according to a research review published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine last year.
link: http://www.newsweek.com/id/113270
But hey, loved reading the post, the other suggestions are of course RIGHT
First, sleep 8 hours a day if you want to live a long life.
Second, work 8-12 hours a day and sometimes, don’t show up at all.
Third, Show a little bit of self discipline and don’t screw around and you will probably finish in record time.
Finally, if you have to figure out ways to quit screwing aroud, like not doing twitter or answering emails constantly you probably do not write you own paycheck.
Employees will screw around alot more than folks who only get to eat what they kill.
In other words, each hour, I screw around, costs me 1/2080 th of my final end year income. Does it cost you to screw around, or someone else?
Good job, except for counseling people to cut their sleep time. I think you could be even more effective if you support common medical advice and wisdom.
This is an interesting article, I think it perhaps applies to the younger generation who thrives on electronic communication for business and social purposes than for my own generation (I’m 49). These are good strategies, actually I use almost all of them to an extent in my work day, which makes it easier to respond to emails - learn the art of writing brief emails and set aside the time to reply to those that require more detail and depth.
The only one I disagree with is to reduce sleep time. I can say that I generally get a 5 to 6 hour sleep in the regular work week, I have two kids and family commitments. But when my body needs a longer rest, on weekends or days off, I take the extra hours. Your body simply will not let you keep going at one pace without more significant rest or else it will crash. That’s when people get sick for extended periods of time or with more frequency.
A lot of good stuff in here. I really like the ideas of grouping emails and only focusing on one thing at a time, I think those will help me a lot.
I too disagree with the sleep thing for a lot of people. Studies have shown that most people need a full 8 hours of sleep per night. There are some that can function fully on only 6 but for most people they won’t be at their best. There are a lot of people out there that seem to brag about how little they sleep (not referring to the author here) like it’s a badge of honor but it’s just not a good idea.
As someone blessed with the ability to often sleep only 3 hours a night, my grandfather and father also slept incredibly little, I can only share one nugget of how to wake up earlier for you all:
Set your radio alarm clock dial inbetween stations so you are receiving static, which is annoying in itself. At 5 am, when your radio alarm clock goes off, that static will crescendo into your ear and your annoyance will indeed force you reflex-like to get ouf bed, walk across the room and turn off the alarm.
Icing on this wake-up cake is immediately going to your bathroom and washing your face, lest you run back to under the covers.
HiMY SYeD / Toronto
P.S. It is my firm belief that The Devil himself invented the ’snooze’ buitton.
Hahaha… I’ll agree with that. The “snooze” button is a killer!
There are good tips here, but the big problem is that it is so hard to break one’s habits.
I usually suggest to people that they try one or two changes at a time until it is locked in.
I LOVE this post! I totally going to stat implementing a lot of these tips! I did have two questions though:
I know I don’t get as much work done when my Gmail isn’t open all day but I’m a virtual assistant so my work all comes into my email so not having my email open scares me that I’ll miss something from a client. What do you suggest?
Also what is on YOUR Must-Do-Or-Die list? I love this concept I’m just trying to decide what to put on it; the stuff I do everyday anyway (brush teeth, check email) or more broad tasks like “start marketing the biz more”/”put together new blog post ideas”?
You have to discipline your clients. If something is super urgent, then they can call you on your cell. If it’s just a normal email, there’s no reason why you can’t answer it in 6-12 hours.
Must-Do-or-Die lists change everyday. It’s definitely not brush your teeth. It’s tasks like:
- Revise proposal
- Follow up with potential client
A lot of good stuff in here. I have noticed that social networking websites have taken a lot of small segments of my time throughout the day and engaging small conversations will take you off focus. Thanks for the advice!