The Art of Doing Less

Let’s cut to the chase: productivity isn’t about doing more stuff; it’s about doing the right stuff. This isn’t some feel-good fluff. It’s about pulling the right levers—doing the things that actually move the needle. Let’s face it, we are all busy. If you want to grow a business, work a day job, and have a life, you have to be smart with your time. Dan Koe, one of my favorite productivity and lifestyle writers, emphasizes high-impact activities and strategic thinking. This post is inspired by his work and my years of experience. It will help you identify and pull the right levers in your life and investing career.

Understanding the Concept

So, what the hell does "pulling the right levers" even mean? Imagine you're a machine operator in a factory. There are hundreds of levers and buttons in front of you, but only a few actually make the machine run efficiently. The rest are just distractions. Pulling the right levers means ignoring the distractions and focusing on high-impact activities—the tasks that produce significant results with minimal effort. It’s about using your existing skills and resources in the smartest way possible.

The beauty of this concept lies in its simplicity. Yet, it's often overlooked because people get caught up in the grind, thinking that productivity is about being constantly busy. It’s not. Productivity is about being effective. It’s about channeling your energy into actions that yield the most significant results. This involves not just doing things right, but doing the right things.

Understanding the power of leverage means recognizing that not all tasks are created equal. Some tasks have a disproportionately large impact on your success. Think of it as the difference between spinning your wheels and actually getting somewhere.

Identifying High-Impact Activities

You’re not here to waste time, so let’s get to the meat of it. How do you identify the high-impact activities? It starts with setting clear, specific goals. If your goals are as vague as “be more productive,” then good luck, buttercup. Get specific. “Increase sales by 20% in Q2” is a clear, specific goal. It gives you direction and a measurable target. When you know exactly what you’re aiming for, it’s easier to see which activities will get you there, and this is how you choose which levers to pull on a day-to-day basis.

Conducting a personal SWOT analysis is another powerful tool. This isn’t just for businesses. Take a good, hard look at your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Be brutally honest. Are you a great communicator but terrible at time management? Use that knowledge to focus on activities where you can excel and delegate or improve the rest. Understanding your personal SWOT helps you align your actions with your strengths and avoid wasting time on tasks that don’t play to your abilities.

Prioritization Techniques

When it comes to prioritization, two techniques stand out: the Eisenhower Matrix and the Pareto Principle.

Eisenhower Matrix

This is your go-to tool for distinguishing between what’s urgent and what’s important. Spend more time on tasks that are important but not urgent. This helps you avoid the trap of constant firefighting. By categorizing tasks into four quadrants (urgent and important, not urgent but important, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important), you can prioritize effectively and focus on what truly matters. Let’s go over some examples that a real estate investor might encounter.

Urgent and Important: Your highest priority to complete ASAP

Emergency Repairs: A tenant calls to report a burst pipe flooding their apartment. Immediate action is required to prevent further damage and ensure tenant safety.

Filling Vacancies: When a unit is vacant, it is not generating revenue, but the mortgage must still be paid. Filling vacancies is both urgent and important.

Not Urgent but Important: A high priority that you should focus on

Routine Property Maintenance: Scheduling regular inspections and maintenance (e.g., HVAC servicing, roof inspections) to prevent future issues. This helps maintain property value and tenant satisfaction.

Financial Planning: Developing a long-term investment strategy, including budgeting for property upgrades and planning for future acquisitions.

Urgent but Not Important: Not your priority but needs to get done, delegate/automate

Minor Tenant Requests: Handling non-emergency tenant requests such as fixing a dripping faucet or replacing a light bulb. These tasks should be delegated to a property manager or handyman.

Administrative Tasks: Answering routine emails or calls that can be handled by an assistant or property management software.

Neither Urgent nor Important: Avoid doing these

Social Media Scrolling: Spending time on social media without a specific purpose related to business growth or networking. This is a distraction that adds little value.

Excessive Research: Continuously looking up new real estate trends without applying the knowledge to your current investments or strategy.

Pareto Principle (80/20 Rule)

Focus on the 20% of tasks that generate 80% of the results. If you’re spending most of your day on low-impact activities, you’re doing it wrong. Identify the few tasks that drive the most value and prioritize them. This principle is a game-changer because it forces you to concentrate on the tasks that have the most significant impact. Here are a few examples from real estate investing. Here are a few high-impact activities to focus on.

Tenant Screening

It might seem like a routine task, but it's one of the most impactful activities for a real estate investor. By thoroughly vetting potential tenants, you can:

Reduce Vacancy Rates: Quality tenants are more likely to stay longer, reducing turnover and costs.

Ensure Timely Rent Payments: Reliable tenants are more likely to pay on time, ensuring a steady cash flow.

Minimize Property Damage: Good tenants take better care of the property, reducing maintenance costs.

Investing time in effective tenant screening can prevent future problems, making it a high-impact activity worth focusing on.

Property Acquisition

Finding the right property at the right price can significantly impact your returns. This involves:

Market Research: Identifying up-and-coming neighborhoods or undervalued properties can lead to significant appreciation.

Negotiation: Skilled negotiation can reduce the purchase price or secure better terms, enhancing your investment’s profitability.

Due Diligence: Ensuring the property is in good condition and free from legal issues can prevent costly surprises down the line.

By prioritizing property acquisition, you can make substantial gains that outweigh many smaller, low-impact tasks.

Low-impact activities to avoid

Routine maintenance calls can often be outsourced to a property management company or a handyman.

Basic administrative tasks like rent collection and maintenance requests can be automated through property management software that can save time and reduce errors.

Excessive Research is often referred to as "shiny object syndrome." Yes, you do need to keep up with what is happening in the real estate industry and your market, but you shouldn’t be on a never-ending search for the latest and greatest thing. Find a strategy that is proven (rental real estate is a good one), interests you, and fits into your lifestyle (i.e., don’t fix and flip if your day job demands 60 hours a week). Once you find your strategy, focus 90% of your effort on becoming an expert at it.

By focusing on high-impact activities like tenant screening and property acquisition, you can leverage the Pareto Principle to maximize your productivity and profitability as a rental real estate investor.

Leveraging Existing Skills and Resources

You’ve got skills—use them. This is about working "smarter, not harder." Yes, this phrase is overused, but for good reason. Assessing and utilizing your current skills is crucial. Know what you’re good at and double down on those areas. Are you a data wizard? Use that to streamline operations or make better strategic decisions. Your unique skills are your superpower. Leveraging them effectively can give you a significant edge.

Efficiently allocating resources isn’t just about money. Time, energy, and attention are your most valuable resources. Allocate them where they have the highest return. Stop wasting time on tasks that can be automated or outsourced. By focusing your resources on high-impact areas, you maximize your productivity and results.

However, as a beginning investor or solopreneur, there are times when you simply have to handle tasks that aren’t your forte or could otherwise be delegated. This often happens because you need to build momentum and generate enough cash flow or capital to afford outsourcing. For instance, you might find yourself managing social media, handling accounting, or even performing minor property repairs, despite these not being your areas of expertise.

This is perfectly okay and a necessary step in your entrepreneurial journey. Wearing multiple hats helps you understand every facet of your business and build resilience. However, it's crucial to recognize that getting these low-impact tasks off your plate should be a top priority as soon as feasible. The goal is to free up your time and mental energy so you can focus on strategic growth areas and core activities that drive your business forward.

This will allow you to leverage your unique skills more effectively, ultimately leading to greater success and sustainability in your ventures.

Effective Leverage Can be Seen in Various Contexts

At Work, focus on projects that align with your strengths and offer the highest ROI for your company. If you’re a whiz at client relations, prioritize activities that involve client interaction and leave the administrative tasks to someone else. For example, a sales manager who excels at closing deals but struggles with paperwork should delegate administrative tasks to an assistant, freeing up more time to focus on closing high-value deals.

Personal Projects: Use your best creative hours for writing, coding, or whatever your high-impact work is, and leave mundane tasks for when your energy dips. Your peak performance times are precious—use them wisely. A writer might dedicate their most focused morning hours to crafting their manuscript and reserve the afternoons for editing or administrative tasks.

Real Estate Investing: Let’s say you’ve acquired your first two rental properties. You might be tempted to handle maintenance requests and renovations yourself. However, like me, you are very good at seeing the big picture and at screening deals and running financial analyses using spreadsheets. Your time is better spent looking for and analyzing potential properties, and delegating the maintenance and renovations to a professional. This will free you up to leverage your existing skills, which is the right lever to pull in this case.

Strategic Thinking and Deliberate Choices

Strategic thinking is the art of making better choices. It’s about looking ahead and planning your moves like a chess master. It’s not just about working hard; it’s about working smart. Strategic thinking helps you focus on long-term goals and avoid getting bogged down in the daily grind. It allows you to see the bigger picture and make informed decisions that align with your ultimate objectives.

Making deliberate choices means being intentional with your actions. Choose tasks that align with your goals and have a significant impact. Don’t spread yourself too thin. Focus on what really matters. Deliberate choices ensure that your efforts are consistently directed towards high-impact activities.

Avoiding Common Pitfalls

Avoiding common pitfalls is crucial to maintaining productivity. You’re not Superman. Focus on a few key areas where you can make the most impact. Trying to do everything dilutes your effectiveness and leads to burnout. Just because something is easy or enjoyable doesn’t mean it’s worth your time. Cut the crap and focus on what brings real value. Low-value tasks are productivity killers that distract you from your high-impact activities.

For example, many people fall into the trap of responding to emails as soon as they arrive. This constant interruption breaks your flow and reduces your productivity. Instead, set specific times during the day to check and respond to emails, allowing you to focus on more critical tasks the rest of the time.

A common example for real estate investors is personally managing marketing and listing efforts for each property. Crafting listings, taking photos, writing descriptions, and posting on various platforms can be time-consuming and detract from more strategic tasks. Avoiding this pitfall might involve allowing your property manager to hire a professional real estate photographer and stage the unit to take appealing photos and to allow your property manager to handle your property listings and marketing.

Doing this allows you to leverage expert skills to enhance your property's appeal and market reach. By avoiding this common pitfall, you will improve your property’s market performance and also ensure that you maintain a high level of productivity by focusing on tasks that directly contribute to your business's long-term success.

Tools and Techniques

Tools and techniques can also support your productivity. Use productivity apps like Trello or Todoist to keep track of tasks. These tools help you organize and prioritize your work effectively. Time-blocking can help you focus on one task at a time. Dedicated time blocks ensure that you’re giving each task your full attention. That means turning your email notifications OFF and putting the phone away. Don’t worry, the TikTok dance videos will be there when you are done. Regularly review your progress and adjust your strategies accordingly. Continuous improvement is key to sustained productivity.

Case Studies and Examples

Love him or hate him, Elon Musk focuses on projects that have the potential to change the world. He allocates his time based on what will have the highest impact. Musk’s ability to prioritize and focus on high-impact activities is a significant factor in his success. By focusing on high-leverage activities like engineering and design, Musk maximizes his impact on Tesla and SpaceX.

Tim Ferriss advocates for the 80/20 rule and focuses on tasks that give the most significant results with the least effort. Ferriss’s approach to productivity is all about maximizing efficiency and effectiveness. By identifying and focusing on his most effective activities, Ferriss has built a successful career with minimal wasted effort.

Steve Jobs slashed Apple’s product line to focus on the most innovative and high-impact products. At first, people thought he was a lunatic, but this strategic focus helped Apple become one of the most valuable companies in the world. By eliminating low-impact products, Jobs was able to concentrate Apple’s resources on developing groundbreaking innovations like the iPhone and iPad.

Google encourages employees to spend 20% of their time on high-impact projects they are passionate about. This policy has led to some of Google’s most successful innovations, including Gmail and Google News. By allowing employees to pursue their passions, Google fosters creativity and innovation.

Creating my small multifamily investing course was all about distilling my experience into actionable, step-by-step systems for my students. While I have tons of hands-on experience, I'm not skilled in video editing, sound engineering, or web design. So, I outsource those tasks to create a superior product. This lets me focus on what I do best: writing and teaching. Writing and content creation are my high-leverage activities—the 80/20 principle in action. This focus ensures I pull the lever that drives the most results.

In another personal example, I realized my most productive hours were in the morning, so I made a deliberate choice to dedicate this time to high-impact activities like writing and planning. Instead of wasting my peak energy on low-value tasks, I focused on creating content and setting strategic goals. This simple shift not only boosted my productivity but also significantly increased my overall satisfaction. By aligning my peak hours with my most important work, I saw a noticeable improvement in both the quality and quantity of my output.

Conclusion

Pulling the right levers is about focusing on what truly matters. It’s about making strategic, high-impact choices and leveraging your existing skills and resources. This approach can transform not just your productivity, but your entire life. By identifying high-impact activities, leveraging your strengths, and making deliberate choices, you can achieve more with less effort.

Ready to start pulling the right levers? If you haven't already, subscribe to my blog for more insights and practical tips on maximizing productivity and achieving success. Share your experiences or plans in the comments below—let’s learn and grow together!