You can be on Entrepreneur’s cover!

Get More Done In Less Time There's nothing you can't achieve if you work just four hours every week on it.

By Joe De Sena

entrepreneur daily

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Shutterstock

I don't believe in wasting anything, especially time. Tim Ferriss is a pro at being efficient. He can do just about anything in four hours. Author of The 4-Hour Work Week, The 4-Hour Body and The 4-Hour Chef – all bestsellers – the angel investor/advisor/author/blogger forces the question: How does he manage to do it all?

Here are some tips Ferriss shared with me to achieve maximum productivity and success:

Write things down.

Ferriss writes down his objectives daily. Do this a few minutes before bed or first thing in the morning. Write down attributes you want to exemplify or key words you want to focus on to help you visualize your goals and focus your energy. Ferriss says, "I write down "unrushed' a lot."

Start with something you like before digging into the tough stuff.

If you're having trouble getting started, do something you like before tackling the tough stuff. This could be anything, like scheduling a vacation, journaling or exercising. This will put you in a good mood and make you feel productive. When you're ready to get down to business, you will be in the right mind set.

Related: 6 Tips From Successful CEOs for Getting More Done

Eat well and exercise.

Tim and I agree that you have got to put importance on your physical and mental health. A strong body and mind allow you to function at your peak and produce your best work.

Develop your network.

Make genuine connections to build the pool of people who can help you. Ferriss suggests volunteering as a way to build your network. "I was fresh out of college and I got to produce an event. I got to reach out to all the speakers who I wanted to develop personal relationships with," Ferriss told me about his volunteer experience. "It was a really straightforward short-cut to developing a truly great network."

Do more than is expected.

Be remembered as a hard worker. "It doesn't even have to be an extra mile," Ferriss says. "Show up 10 minutes early…do a little bit extra."

Observe master dealmakers.

"It doesn't matter what the industry is," Ferriss told me. "If you can get a job working directly for the dealmakers, take that job." Working directly for a pro decision-maker, you will learn how to emulate their sharpened skills to prepare you for success. Observe the way they handle matters and take mental notes.

Related: 15 Tips for Succeeding as an Independent App Developer

Ask the right questions.

The questions you ask can help you in the future. According to Ferriss, master dealmakers overcome objections and discover compromises by asking the right questions. Ferriss says. "Ask questions like, "I know this is impossible, but if there were a way to make it work, what would it be?" he says

Maintain focus.

"There are different challenges in different phases, but as far as I can tell, most of them come down to maintaining focus," Ferriss says. Scattered focus could potentially destroy your business. Tim believes in the Pareto Principle, aka the 80/20 rule. For example, if you figure out that 20 percent of your customers produce 80 percent of your revenue, narrow your focus. If you are putting a lot of energy into something that is not helping you in the long run, get rid of it.

According to Ferriss, "you can drown yourself in good opportunities that aren't great opportunities." Clear out anything less than great from your path and you will reveal a direct route to achievement. One of the major keys to success is efficiency, and although you might not be able to get everything done in just four hours, applying these small changes could change your life.

Related: The 10 Biggest Productivity Killers and How to Overcome Them

Joe De Sena

Founder & CEO, Spartan Race, Inc.

Joe De Sena is the founder and CEO of Spartan Race, Inc. De Sena has been an entrepreneur since his pre-teens. From selling fireworks at age 8, to starting a t-shirt business in high school, to building a multimillion-dollar pool business in college, to creating a Wall Street trading firm, De Sena is a living definition of "entrepreneur." De Sena is the New York Times bestselling author of SPARTAN UP! A Take-No-Prisoners Guide to Overcoming Obstacles and Achieving Peak Performance in Life and SPARTAN FIT! 30 Days. Transform Your Mind. Transform Your Body. Commit to Grit. He is also the host of the Spartan Up! Podcast, available on iTunes, Stitcher and YouTubeFor information about a Spartan Race in your area, visit www.spartan.com.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Editor's Pick

Growing a Business

To Achieve Sustainable Success, You Need to Stop Focusing on Disruption. Here's Why — and What You Must Focus on Instead.

Instead of zeroing in solely on disruptive innovation, embrace a pragmatic approach to innovation, recognizing and leveraging the potential within ongoing industry shifts.

Business News

Mark Zuckerberg Says This CEO Is the 'Taylor Swift' of Tech

Meta's CEO posed with Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang on Instagram Wednesday.

Real Estate

3 Emerging Trends Shaping the Future of Real Estate

These three innovations are reshaping the real estate industry — discover tips for effectively covering these trends.

Leadership

What We Have to Gain By Talking About Grief and Loss At Work

I lost my husband to cancer during Covid — here's how it changed how I lead at work.

Side Hustle

This Mom Started a Side Hustle After a 'Shocking' Realization in the Toy Aisle. Her Product Was in Macy's Within the Year — Seeing Nearly $350,000 in Sales.

Elenor Mak, now founder of Jilly Bing, didn't plan to start a business — but the search for a doll that looked like her daughter inspired her to do just that.

Fundraising

Avoid These 9 Pitch Deck Mistakes When Asking Others For Money

Crafting an efficient pitch deck requires serious effort, but at least it's not wandering in the dark since certain rules are shaped by decades of relationships between startups and investors.