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6
Start Earlier,
Work Harder,
and Stay Later

Develop a commitment to hard work. Nothing will bring you to the attention of the important people in your work life faster than for you to get a reputation as a person who works hard and gets a lot done.

A hard worker is not an antisocial personality or a driven, compulsive personality who burns out from stress and overwork. Rather, a hard worker is a person who does not waste time. He or she makes every minute count at work. He or she sets clear priorities, works steadily throughout the day, and is determined to make a valuable contribution to the company.

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Everybody knows who the hardest workers are in every organization. They are always the ones who are the most respected in a company. They are almost always paid more and promoted faster—and for very good reasons. They get more work done in a shorter period of time. They make a greater contribution per each dollar that they receive in pay. As a result, they are more valuable to the company. They are a better investment. They set a better example and they are the kind of people that bosses are proud of and want to hold onto more than anyone else.

Two extra hours of productive work each day is all you really need to invest to become one of the most valuable and effective people in your company. You can create this extra two hours by coming in an hour earlier and staying one hour later. This will expand your day slightly, but it will accelerate your career tremendously.

Efficiency experts have determined that you get the equivalent of three hours of office work done for every one hour that you work without interruptions. The truth is that because of interruptions and distractions, you get very little work, especially creative work, done in the office. You must be continually carving out blocks of time where you can work nonstop. You can get this extra time by coming in before anyone else, working while others are out at lunch, and staying a little later, after the others have left for the day.

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The top people in every field work more hours than the average person. The top 10 percent of money earners in America work fifty hours or more per week. The highest paid 1 percent of Americans work an average of fifty-six hours per week. And more importantly, they work all the time they work. They do not waste time. They arrive at work early and they immediately start on their most important tasks. They work steadily throughout the day. They are friendly, but they do not spend the day making small talk or engaging in idle chitchat with their coworkers.

This must be your goal as well. Work all the time you are at work. Do not drop off your dry cleaning, make personal phone calls, read the newspaper, or chat about the latest football game or television program. Work all the time you work.

Imagine that your company is going to bring in an outside firm to analyze everyone in terms of who works the hardest, who works the second hardest, and all the way down to who works the least. Your goal is to win this imaginary contest. Your job is to be ranked as the hardest working person in the entire company. Winning this imaginary competition will help you to get paid more and promoted faster than almost any other reputation you could possibly develop. And this competition is going on every day, whether anyone has told you about it or not.

When a coworker wants to chat or tries to distract you from what you are doing, be polite but firm. Tell him or her that you are really busy right now. Offer to get together later. Then, smile cheerfully and say, “Well, I’ve got to get back to work!”

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Keep repeating these words, over and over, “Back to work! Back to work! Back to work!”

These words, continually repeated, will motivate you to overcome procrastination, stay focused on your key tasks, and become one of the most productive people in your business. And everyone will notice.