ork smarter, not harder—a concept as simple and elegant as e = mc2. Einstein’s equation changed the world; our foolproof Womenomics formula will change your universe. What they have in common is a new understanding of energy. If you’re going to work less and still achieve, you need to understand where to direct your precious energy resources. Remember: your time and energy are finite commodities; you need to use them to maximum effect.
That’s where our fox comes in. Foxes are precise and cunning, a disposition we applaud. They know instinctively how to sniff out the best opportunities, a skill that allows them to hunt when and how they want, but with minimum effort. They aren’t given to wasting excess energy, but they do know when to put on a sudden spurt to maximize their chances of a kill, or an escape! This is an overarching and intrinsic aspect of Womenomics: you need to develop ways to get greater returns on the investment of your time.
Or think about it this way: you’re shopping, and you have $300 to spend. Should you fritter it all away, as you roam around, on junky but captivating earrings and necklaces from street vendors, or should you focus on making that really big quality purchase of a knockout dress? That dress will get you more bang than the cheap but entertaining bling. It’s the same with your time. It’s a critical commodity.
The first major practical step to becoming smarter with your time is to rethink the relationship between time and productivity. Kathleen Christensen of the Sloan Foundation notes that the very idea of productivity measured by time on a clock is starting to look antiquated. “For a very long time the notion was that, the longer the hours you work, the more productive you are. And I think that there is an increasing awareness that it’s not necessarily how long you work, but how smart you work. I have certainly seen cases where people have reduced their hours and stayed as productive.”
Kathleen is exactly right in this respect, but even she could go one step further. It’s not just possible to reduce raw hours and maintain (or even increase) your productivity—it’s absolutely necessary. As you work smarter not harder, you’ll see that your whole life will begin to improve. Reduced stress, a greater sense of fulfillment, fewer distractions, and less worry will continue to improve your productivity at work, and your improved results — oriented performance will, in turn, free up yet more time. Over the next three chapters, we’ll show you exactly how to work smarter on the small stuff, the big stuff, and even on a newly negotiated flexible deal.
Chandra Dhandapani, our vice president at the financial giant Capital One, says her smart-time approach has won her enough time to relax with her husband and young son. “It’s set off a positive cycle,” she says. “I feel I’m a better person, and so I’m actually more engaged and productive at work, and then easier to work with!”
Smart time can even alleviate the need for part time. We know that the appeal of part-time work tempts all women, and it may sound like the natural solution to our “work less” quest. There’s a romantic notion of the perfect three-day week, with time at home baking bread or constructing 3-D volcanoes or doing yoga. But remember, that formalized three-day week comes with a formalized three-day salary and three-day benefits. It’s a big cut in your income. And all too often, as we all know, you find yourself doing the same work for less money. It might be right for you—and we have negotiating tips in chapter 7 that will help you should you go this route—but before you storm into your boss’s office demanding fewer hours for less pay, why not try carving out time in your week by working smarter but for the same full-time salary?
This chapter is about how to start down the Womenomics path in easy, accessible ways. There are things you can do today, with no formal arragements, to win yourself more time. And you can change not only the quantity of time you have in your day but also the quality of your time. At home, at work, in the car—we’re going to show you how to save time, to discover new reservoirs of untapped time, and most importantly, how to start living better, right now.