If you hear “less effort,” what does that mean to you?
Is it positive or negative?
Some people interpret “less effort” as lazy or unrealistic if you want to succeed in a demanding business environment.
Makes sense.
That’s because it’s drummed into many of us from childhood that we need to put in a lot of effort to do well at school and at work.
The Cambridge Dictionary defines “effort” as the physical or mental activity needed to achieve something.
So I interpret “less effort” in a positive way: minimizing the physical, mental, and emotional energy you spend to get the results you want.
And obviously the less time you spend, the less effort is required too.
Let’s be clear: I’m not saying “no effort.”
When I talk about “less effort, more impact,” I mean optimizing your precious resources: your time and energy.
For a while now, I’ve been known as “The Less Effort, More Impact Coach.”
But where did this phrase “less effort, more impact” come from?
Well, it was inspired by something I heard from my mum as a child in the UK: “More haste, less speed, Helen.”
Even though I don’t recall the situation, I remember my utter confusion at the time because I didn’t understand the expression!
Now, I know it means this:
The more hasty you are (the more you’re rushing to accomplish something), the longer it will take in the end because you easily make mistakes.
So conversely, the less you rush, the speedier you are.
Similarly, a LOT of effort can lead to less ultimate impact.
This is sometimes known as the Law of Reversed Effort or the Backwards Law, popularized by English writer and speaker Alan Watts.
Put simply, the harder we try, the less we succeed.
Now, some may argue that extra effort pays off when you get great results.
You might say hard work led to some amazing achievements in my professional and personal life: an award of Distinction in my Masters in Advanced Japanese studies, recognition for outstanding performance at McKinsey Japan, multiple certifications as a trainer and coach, a book in Japanese published by Shogakukan, two Nikkei Online columns, a karate world gold medal, and more.
But could I have achieved these without expending so much physical, mental, and emotional energy?
I believe so.
Could I have avoided the poor decisions in my work, damaged relationships, adverse health effects, multiple cases of burnt out, and feelings of inadequacy?
I believe so.
Through years of investing in programs with phenomenal coaches around the world, experimenting to discover the mindset shifts, skills, and habits that worked for me, and supporting my clients to make their own changes, I realized the incredible power of this concept of less effort and more impact.
I became passionate about less effort and more impact because, as a coach, I’d seen so many of my clients and former colleagues putting in HUGE amounts of physical, mental, and emotional effort that was ultimately to the detriment of their business results, relationships, health, and happiness.
There is another way.
Instead of frantically paddling upstream, it’s like sailing joyfully downstream to your goals.
Like top athletes and musicians, it’s understanding what works best for you, valuing rest and reflection as much as action, and being in flow.
If you’d like to start experimenting with less effort and more impact, here are just a few ideas:
- When you’re stuck, step away – if you’re struggling to write the next sentence in an email or report, take a break, Then notice how easily inspiration comes to you (this happened as I was writing this!)
- Pay attention to how you feel – aim to do more when you’re energized and give yourself permission to refresh and recharge when you’re depleted or distracted
- Practice essential skills – when you identify, study, and practice the essential skills in your work, you can do them more efficiently and effectively without thinking. I used to agonize over my opening words for a presentation. Now I follow a simple 5-part framework, which I’ve practiced repeatedly and can complete in just a few minutes
- Invite suggestions from others – if you’re a manager, instead of relying on your mental effort to answer everyone’s questions, encourage team members to come to you with proposed solutions to problems (it’s easier for you and helps them to develop their skills)
- Consider 70% perfection – one of my coaches used to say “70% is perfection; 100% is failure.” This means that if you work on something until it’s 100%, you’ve probably spent too long on it and may have missed some opportunities
How can you start to embrace less effort and more impact in your work and life?