I know that’s a bit of a tongue twister but there is deep meaning in it. Read it again “The more that you do the easier it is to do more”. Meaning that the more that you get accomplished the easier to it to accomplish more. For example once you’re up and going it’s easier to keep up and going. Likewise when you’re relaxed the easier to is to get more relaxed. Once you get going in a certain direction it gets easier and easier to keep going in that direction. The more you do the easier it is to do more. That harder you work the easier it is to work harder. As you can see this can easily be used to accomplish much more in your life.
When people tell me that can’t get all they want done and want to know what to do about it my default answer now is to do more. It seems counter intuitive but you be amazed at how this works. Constantly taking action begets more action. It’s easier to hit the gym after a run then it is to hit it from just waking up. It is easier for me to write ten articles in a day than it is for me to write ten articles over a weeks time. Again seems counter intuitive but it works like a charm. If you keep constantly taking action, you’ll amaze yourself at what you can get accomplished.
The Illustration Of The Busy Man
A good illustration to help explain this concept better is the illustration of the busy man. A manager needed work done and would give it out to those that were doing the least amount of work. He rationalized that since they had the least amount of activity on their plate that they would get it done no problem. Well the manager soon found out that the task were often completed late if at all. Even after going through multiple employees the manager couldn’t find one who could get the task done and on time.
That was when the managers boss told him if he wanted something done to give it to the busiest employee in the office, the one that was constantly taking action and getting things done. So the manager gave the task to the busiest employee reluctantly. He was amazed when the task was completed and on his desk within the hour. The manager wondered “How was the busy man able to accomplish what those with nothing to do weren’t?”. Here’s why because the more action someone takes the more action they can take.
Inertia
Getting things done isn’t a matter of time management the way that time management is commonly understood. Most people greatly limit themselves and what they can accomplish. I recommend you write out what you want to get done the next day before you go to bed as a way to increase your productivity. The more I use this the more I believe in “overbooking” yourself. Meaning filling up that list with more than you think you can accomplish. Try to get what you want to get done in a week done in one day. Bite off more than you can chew.
At first you probably won’t make it (or maybe you will) then keep at it. I am now accomplishing in one day what it used to take me a week to do. And soon I’ll be accomplish in a day what it took me two weeks to do and so on and so forth. Yes eventually there is a limit but it is so far beyond what you think that you shouldn’t even be worried about it. Plus it never pays to limit yourself, simply go out and keep taking action. Fill up your list with things that make you say “There’s no way I’ll be able to get all that done” then go out and try to. This is something you have to do everyday not just once or twice. You’re building a muscle here, one of your most important muscles. Your action taking muscle.
You’re Not Doing Enough
I know, I know you think your taking enough action but the fact of the matter is you’re not. You could be doubling, tripling, or even 1oxing your activity (if not more). I know plenty of people who could 100x their activity and still be falling short. Granted those people wouldn’t be reading a site like this but you get the point. You want to become a machine when it comes to action taking. Just again, and again, and again without tiring, without losing steam. Just keep pushing.
Action taking is a muscle, don’t forget that. Just like any other muscle if not worked out it will atrophy away to nothing. You have to keep at it. The more you do the more you can do. Yes, it’ll be a grind at times but you just have to keep pushing. That is how you get to levels others can only dream of. I’m not going to lie it sucks at times but you have to focus on the outcome and just keep trucking. Like when you were dead tired during football practice, or during a boxing match, or running a marathon. You had to dig down deep and keep fighting. Getting things done is no different.
Summary
Never take something out of your schedule always add more into it. Fill you schedule up so that your hourly schedule looks like other peoples daily schedule. Of course this should all be used in productive work not fake work. Focus on activities with high ROIs and not busy work. If you’re a blogger it’ll be writing posts, if you’re a boxer it’ll be hitting the gym, if you’re a painter it’ll be painting that takes up the majority of your schedule. Keep taking action and you keep reaching higher and higher levels of action taking. Until you become an action taking machine. Just keep at it.
If you have any questions you would like to see answered in a future post send them to me at charlessledge001 (at) gmail (dot) com. If you found value in this post then I would encourage you to share this site with someone who may need it as well as check out my books here. I appreciate it.
-Charles Sledge
