--- title: Making Space for What Is Most Important | The Sales Blog description: The number of hours you work is not nearly as important as what you do while you are working. image: https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/shutterstock_396289699.jpg --- ### [Now booking SKO meetings for 2026/27! 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There are countless people who spend a lot of time at their desk but get less done than others who work a fraction of that time. “Hours worked” and “[outcomes](http://thesalesblog.com/2013/10/20/your-three-major-outcomes/) achieved” are two very different metrics. ## Fewer, Bigger Priorities The primary difference in results is found in one’s intentions. Some people show up to work and wait passively in front of their computer with their email open, sitting in reactive mode to respond to whatever comes their way. These people start work with the intention of doing whatever is required of them. Others direct their work. People who get more work done in half the time start work with different intentions. They close their web browser and their email program, and they work on the projects and tasks that will produce the results they need to produce right now. They direct their own work. Productivity is making progress on your biggest priorities. Productivity doesn’t have anything to do with the number of hours you are at work. ## Saying No to Small Things To clear space for your biggest priorities, you have to prevent small things from creeping in and crowding out what’s most important. You have to say “[no](http://no%20to%20small%20things)” to things that won’t help you produce the outcomes you really need. Email is full of thousands of small things that could command your time. The Internet is a never-ending source of new distractions and the deepest rabbit hole in which you can easily lose yourself—and where you can lose your focus on what’s important. When you say “yes” to small things, you are saying “no” what’s important. ## Less in a Day, More in Week You can get less done in a single day than you believe you can, but you can get far more done in a week than you think possible. Blocking three hours a day for your most important projects will transform your results. Those three highly-focused, undistracted hours will allow you to make progress on the outcomes you need regardless of what that outcome may be. That’s fifteen hours a week on your most important projects. For me, that would be five hours each on my three biggest projects over the course of a week. ## Less in a Week, More in a Month You can get less done in a week than you wish were possible, even if you block time for your most important projects. But you can make exponential progress on your most important projects over the course of a month. Blocking three hours a day for four weeks is sixty hours. You are unlikely to have any outcome that couldn’t be achieved in sixty hours. If what’s most important to you can’t be achieved in sixty hours, those hours will have moved you much, much closer to the finish line. For me, those sixty hours end up being invested in many different projects. I tend to overestimate the time it takes me to complete projects by underestimating how much work I can do in short bursts of focused, uninterrupted time. - What three projects deserve your attention this week? - What small things and distractions do you need to avoid be productive when it comes to the most important things you need to do? ###### Tags: [Productivity](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/productivity) [2016](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/tag/2016) Post by [Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/blog/author/anthony-iannarino) on August 7, 2016 Written and edited by human brains and human hands. ![Anthony Iannarino](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hubfs/ai-blog-profile-crop.jpg) Anthony Iannarino is an American writer. He has published daily at [thesalesblog.com](https://www.thesalesblog.com) for more than 14 years, amassing over 5,300 articles and making this platform a destination for salespeople and sales leaders. Anthony is also the author of four best-selling books documenting modern sales methodologies and a fifth book for sales leaders seeking revenue growth. His latest book for an even wider audience is titled, The Negativity Fast: Proven Techniques to Increase Positivity, Reduce Fear, and Boost Success. Anthony speaks to sales organizations worldwide, delivering cutting-edge sales strategies and tactics that work in this ever-evolving B2B landscape. He also provides workshops and seminars. Connect with Anthony on LinkedIn, X or Youtube. You can email Anthony at [iannarino@gmail.com](mailto:iannarino@gmail.com) [Follow me on my website](https://www.thesalesblog.com/anthony-iannarino) [Follow me on Facebook ](https://www.facebook.com/thesalesblog) [Follow me on LinkedIn ](https://www.linkedin.com/in/iannarino/) [Follow me on Twitter ](http://www.twitter.com/iannarino) [![AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg?width=400&height=400&name=AISA-square-ad-SKOs-26-27.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/authority) [![ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg?width=318&height=179&name=ai-cold-calling-video-sidebar-offer-1.jpg)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/free-cold-calling-video) ![maximize-productivity-ebook-v3-1-cover (2)](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/maximize-productivity-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(2).jpg?width=768&height=994&name=maximize-productivity-ebook-v3-1-cover%20(2).jpg) ### Maximize Productivity Being productive means getting important things done. The big stuff. The stuff that moves you toward accomplishing your biggest, most important goals. [![DOWNLOAD EBOOK](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/faff89b7-a7a5-474e-9a53-68c41c02cd55.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/faff89b7-a7a5-474e-9a53-68c41c02cd55) ## Are You Ready To Solve Your Sales Challenges? ![Anthony-Solve-Sales](https://www.thesalesblog.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Anthony-Solve-Sales.png?width=290&height=221&name=Anthony-Solve-Sales.png) Hi, I’m Anthony. I help sales teams make the changes needed to create more opportunities & crush their sales targets. What we’re doing right now **is working**, even in this challenging economy. **Would you like some help?** [![Solve for Sales](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/2922376/d3a4938b-2008-4a27-8b44-7b2223f6d035) ### Join my Weekly Newsletter for Sales Tips Join 100,000+ sales professionals in my weekly newsletter and get my *Guide to Becoming a Sales Hustler* eBook for FREE! --- ```json { "@context" : "http://schema.org/", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Anthony Iannarino" }, "dateModified" : "2021-09-17T2:38:16 PM", "datePublished" : "2016-08-07 20:43:17", "description" : "The number of hours you work is not nearly as important as what you do while you are working. 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