Hard Work No Guarantee of Success

Some people feel they can accomplish anything by working hard or that hard work is necessary to accomplish anything. They think hard work guarantees them good results and success.

We believe this is simply not true. In fact, we consider you can accomplish a lot and probably much more by working intelligently and doing things better.

We’re not saying to be lazy but, in the end, we are pretty sure there’s more to success than only hard work. In reality, working hard may simply not be enough.

Maybe your boss can be impressed by committed employees that work long hours. But maybe he could be impressed even more by happier efficient employees that accomplish more working less.

Doing the Right Things Right

Some people just don’t work on the right things. There’s no point on working hard if you work on irrelevant stuff.

Take some time to identify priorities and focus more on these tasks. You probably can’t accomplish everything so try to concentrate on realizing what’s truly important.

Perpetually Flourish Living by the Dozen

When you are passionate about something, you go all out. But after a while, you often run out of steam and can’t keep going because you are too exhausted.

Even if you manage to keep doing the right things, sometimes results won’t seem to materialize. This can be harsh and affect your morale.

Other times, you simply get disinterested and won’t accomplish much either. That lack of interest can even make you lazy.

The good news is that a remedy exists to keep fatigue out of the way. Both versions, physical and mental, can be kept at bay living by the dozen.  

Life is a long-haul game and the 12-Minute Method can help you keep pace. It can allow you to find and keep balance to thrive and constantly get significant things done.

So, look for ways to hammer down about a dozen meaningful tasks each day. Set and work towards your short-term (dozen days), mid-term (dozen weeks) and longer-term (one year or a dozen months) objectives. Also give yourself ample time (dozen years) for substantial career goals. You’ll probably get a chance to be considered an expert only after that long.

If you are a writer or would like to become one, composing at least a dozen lines per day can do wonders to provide everlasting inspiration and productivity.

Becoming Serenely Efficient

In my early years, without knowing why, I was naturally drawn towards things done correctly or with what I now know, efficiently. At that time, I didn’t realize how amazing that frame of mind could eventually make me feel. I now relish the calmness and peace of mind that come with being efficient or more efficient I should rather say. My hope is that one day, others might at least catch a glimpse of the enviable serenity of the efficient.  

To bluntly summarize our actual way of thinking in that regard, our motto has been to accomplish as much as possible with as little as possible. For instance, despite the fact we are willing to work hard, we are always looking for ways to minimize our efforts to still obtain good results. These efficient longings have tainted our actions for a long time now.

To be frank, at a young age, I probably aimed more for perfection. My attention to details got a lot of work done but annoyed quite a few. After some time, I realized trying to become perfect was a fool’s errand because being perfect is simply impossible for us mere humans. Over time, I learn to set free form perfectionism.

Yet I never stopped craving for things done correctly and I slowly found out efficiency was the answer to my prayers. Still young, I naively thought nobody would be against things being done right.

But the more I got exposed to the real world, the more I understood it was not that simple. Many are afraid of people who mostly do things right. They are not willing to change. They wrongly think effective methods will only mean higher standards and hence, more work for them. They don’t see that in reality, it’s quite the opposite.

Jump Start Change with Only 12-Minute

It’s kind of odd that a lot of people rather dream about being millionaires than actually doing something about it.

But the great thing is that you can start fundamental change with just 12-Minute to spare. In fact, 12-Minute can be the easiest answer to that widespread psychological hurdle that many never seem to surpass. So, if you can’t seem to get things going, remember that you can accomplish anything and everything starting with only 12-Minute.

So, start doing something about it, 12-Minute at a time. The truth is, beginning by investing only 12-Minute, can be a huge first step for improvement for the rest of your life. It’s impossible to accomplish everything all at once so take an easy step, the first step, now!

The long-haul recipe to success and happiness can be quite simple: just think about going forward in the next 12-Minute.

Action Out of Too Much Reflection

I must admit l can be the first to reflect too much. It’s not a crime to think about what you’re going to do. In fact, any accomplishment begins with someone thinking or if you prefer, dreaming about it. Too much reflecting only becomes a problem when it freezes up action.

Stressed Out by Performance: Choose Efficiency Instead

Corporations and our so-called modern society put a lot of emphasis on productivity and performance. But fed-up out-of-breath individuals are questioning those values more and more.

The secret may be to lean towards efficiency instead. Efficiency doesn’t only focus on results but also considers effort and methodology.

By definition, being efficient is more than doing the right things (being effective), it’s doing things the right way.

In that sense, efficiency can take out some stress out of performance. To resume what we’re trying to expose here, being efficient means performing as well as possible with as little effort as possible.

Efficiency Can Make Life Easier

Efficiency can allow you to swiftly tackle on each of your tasks, using up less time and effort.

Because efficient people do things the proper way, they usually manage to achieve their assignments with minimal efforts and without undue delays. And since they use less time and effort, efficient beings also typically feel less pressure.

In that sense, adopting an efficient frame of mind can be a great way to relieve pressure and make everyone’s life easier.

Using Technology to Generate Extra Free Time

Sometimes I feel like technology gobbles up more time than it gives us. Ideally, technology should help us and to some extent, free up some of our precious time. Not the other way around.

For many, having a portable phone or computer only makes them more incline to work. Being available 24/7 can really become a nightmare. In that sense, you can often even become a slave to technology, always connected and reachable for a question that probably could have waited for the next morning or at least, for a more suitable moment in your already hectic schedule.

Be careful not to get hooked up by the latest cool phone. It often comes with its fair share of increased work-related expectations along with a solid dose of distraction. Some distractions can be relaxing but most can only make you waste time. It the end, being distracted will affect your performance and possibly amplify your stress level.

People that view technology as a magic solution and expect it will tackle on all the work for them will be deceived.

Despite these reservations, technology can still be a great tool that can immensely help get things done if you learn to use it the proper way.   

The Powerful Nature of Ever-Present Number 12

Whether you’ve noticed it or not, all our lives revolve around omnipresent number 12. Moreover, despite the fact you can choose to ignore it or know zilch about the power of that mysterious number, the truth is that it may already be having an effect on you anyways.

And believe us, there’s more to it than the very convenient dozen.

Evidence Everywhere Around Us

In many previous 12-Minute Articles, we’ve listed examples and reasons why twelve is so omnipresent in our lives. Even if the phenomena can appear strange, it may not only be a mere coincidence. Here’s a couple additional ones.

For starters, you must realize you only dispose of 12 seconds to make a first impression. Furthermore, any respectable teacher or speaker must take into account that, even for adults, the optimal attention span is only 12 minutes. It’s even less for young children.

Changing Habits and Improving The 12-Minute Way: Inspirational Real-Life Story

About 18 months ago, our friend Josh was feeling odd. He often felt tired and lacked stamina. He would catch any tiny virus coming his way. His body constantly aching, he was also starting to get moody. All this was kind of puzzling to him.

Then one day, he hopped on a scale and was shocked he had gained more than 15 pounds over the last few years. Suddenly, he realized he was probably working too much, often eating on the go and not exercising that much anymore. During that week, his family physician confirmed what he already knew and gave him the classic eat-healthy-and-exercise advice.

Familiar with the 12-Minute Method, he immediately took matters into his own hands and started changing. At first, it was not that obvious with his busy schedule and all. But he gradually made the necessary modifications to some of his habits as his physical and mental wellbeing depended on it.

On that occupied fall afternoon, he still took 12-Minute to think and access the situation: right away, he decided he would have to lose 20 pounds over the next year (12 months). The next day, he immediately took action and went on a 12-Minute power walk to clear up his mind and revitalize his body.

After a dozen days, he quickly got the hang of it. His hearth and soul felt much better (his weight getting under control not long afterwards).