Working Smarter, Not Harder
by Ashley Graham-Wilcox
This post is inspired by a conversation we had at this month’s Admin Cafe workshop. (Members can access the slides from that workshop here.)
And before I say anything else, let’s just get this part out of the way: I don’t always do this well! I’m not someone who has perfectly figured out productivity or time management or sustainable rhythms. Most weeks, I still find myself reacting more than I’d like, overcommitting, or trying to squeeze one more thing in.
But I am trying. As I’ve said in this blog — what feels like many times — we’re all out here trying our best. And I read a lot, and love a good planner. So, if your to-do list feels infinite and your energy feels…not, you’re not alone.
The Real Source of Overwhelm
When we talk about working smarter, not harder, we’re usually responding to a feeling—and that feeling is overwhelm. Overwhelm tends to come from three things:
Too many decisions
Too many inputs (interruptions, messages, requests)
Too few systems
It’s not just about working harder or being more disciplined. Often, it’s about the structure—or lack of structure—around how we work.
A Few Simple Tools That Help
There are plenty of productivity methods out there, and you probably are familiar with them, even if you don’t know their names.
The Eisenhower method helps you sort tasks by urgency and importance, so not everything feels equally critical.
The Ivy Lee method keeps your daily list realistic by focusing on just a handful of priorities.
Time blocking gives your work a place on your calendar—because if it doesn’t have a place, it often doesn’t happen.
These tools are helpful. But/and they all assume something important: That your list is already right.
And that’s where a different kind of thinking comes in.
Rethinking Productivity
Several thinkers shaped the conversation in our workshop—not just in terms of how we organize our work, but how we think about it in the first place. Here are some super-simplified, top level thoughts from some books I’ve read recently:
Four Thousand Weeks (Oliver Burkeman): You Can’t Do Everything
Burkeman’s work challenges the idea that we’ll eventually “catch up.” There will always be more to do than we have time for. So instead of asking: How do I get everything done? We start asking: What am I willing to not do?
Deep Work and Slow Productivity (Cal Newport): Focus Isn’t Accidental
Many of us operate as if being responsive is the same thing as being effective. But constant responsiveness fragments our attention, and we can’t really get it back (he calls it attention residue). So instead of asking: How do I stay on top of everything coming at me? We ask: What deserves my full attention—and how am I going to protect it?
Professional Troublemaker (Luvvie Ajayi Jones): Not Everything Deserves a Yes
This isn’t a productivity book, but it’s a guide I come back to often for insight about how I want to live in both my personal and professional life, and here’s what she has to say about protecting your time and energy: If it’s not a heck yes, it’s a no. Clarity around our yes is what makes our work sustainable. So instead of asking: How can I fit this in? We ask: Is this a clear yes—or is it okay for this to be a no?
Outliers and Revenge of the Tipping Point (Malcolm Gladwell): It Might Be the System
There are many things that we as individuals can do to take control of our days and our tasks. But we are also operating inside systems and institutions, and when the same problems keep showing up, often, the issue isn’t effort—it’s structure. So instead of asking: How can I do this better? We can ask: What in the system is creating this—and what would need to change?
Small Shifts That Make a Big Difference
You don’t need a complete overhaul to start working smarter. In fact, trying to change everything at once usually backfires. Instead, look for small, practical shifts:
Keep your daily task list short
Match your work to your energy
Group similar tasks together
Set clearer boundaries around your availability
Ask questions earlier instead of getting stuck
Create simple routines to start and end your day
None of these are revolutionary. But together, they reduce friction.
☕A Final Thought
The goal isn’t to get on top of everything. It’s not to build the perfect system (yet!). It’s to make your work feel more sustainable, and to create a rhythm that supports your focus, your energy, and the work that actually matters — so that your work fits into your life, and not the other way around.
