My wife recently reminded me of something I told her about working as a lawyer.  I had told her, and I guess I particularly felt this way when I worked at the Department of Justice and I was surrounded by colleagues with diplomas on their walls from very impressive schools, that "I may not be the smartest person in the room but I I can work harder than any of them."  I had prided myself, based in large part on my Marine Corps training, that I could work long hours and finish ahead of many others.

That was not the right mindset, and I have moved far away from that now.  And it doesn't just apply to me.  I think that because of COVID-19, as more people have been working from home and have more control over their own schedules, it is becoming more obvious that how you spend your time, based on strategic thinking and a clear vision, is far more effective than simply logging in more and more hours.

And we are all familiar with the age-old expressions: work smarter, not harder; measure twice, cut once; and by failing to plan you are planning to fail.  And of course, Abraham Lincoln's quote that, "If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I would spend the first four hours sharpening my axe."  There's a reason those lessons have withstood the test of time.

Here are five tips I have practiced over the least several years that have helped me increase my productivity while actually working fewer hours:

1. Spend 30-60 minutes per week (ideally on Friday afternoon or Monday morning) planning out my schedule for the upcoming week.  This includes time blocking for categories such as business development, exercise, networking, admin, exercise, etc.
2. Invest time and money in yourself, even if your company won't.  I highly recommend professional development regardless of your profession.  For instance, I focus a lot of my time on business development and sales, and have greatly benefitted from Sales Evolution's Guess Free Selling Program. 
3. Join organizations that can help you personally and professionally, where the other members are people that you actually like and want to spend time with.  For instance, I belong to the Global Good Fund, NationSwell, Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Program, Truman National Security Project, and the Presidential Leadership Scholars Program.  I have learned so much from my friends in each of these organizations that I never would have known but for putting forth the effort to join and participate.
4. Incorporate the basic tenets of healthy living into your daily life - sleeping the right amount each night (for me it is 8-9 hours), drinking lots of water (I aim for 80-100 ounces every day), exercise in some capacity, and eat well.  Of course, this will not only help your physical and mental health, but keeps you productive throughout the day add brightens your outlook.
5. Do not work in a vacuum -- have someone you can talk through ideas with who will give you honest feedback.  This can be an official relationship with a coach, a co-worker whom you trust and enjoy spending time with, a partner at home, or anyone else you are comfortable discussing what you are working on.

Ove the last year we have all had ample opportunity to re-prioritize how we spend our time and determining what is truly important to us.  For most, the answer isn't working harder, but really focusing on what we want to accomplishing in discrete blocks of time - that ends up freeing up space for other opportunities that help us grow in many other ways.