We are programmed from a young age. Actually, it is probably from the moment we learn to smile or roll over as a baby.

And that is to work hard. Rolling over as a baby once is not good enough. Parents want their baby to roll continuously once they know the roll is possible.

Parents, kindy, primary school, secondary school and university teach our young that working hard is paramount to success, be it professionally or financially. And logic says that if you have that, you will be happy too.

That is rubbish.

The latest survey has shown that Australia is the 15th largest country by GPD. You don’t become that if you are poor or don’t work hard.

But another global survey also showed that Australia is 66th out of 72 when it comes to wellbeing and mental health.

There’s more.

As many of you know, I love to tell anyone who will listen that I work 3.5 to 4 days a week and have in excess of 12 weeks a year off. I like to think I am happy and a bit jolly, too. Most think I am lazy, and yet most would like to be in my shoes, and I often get asked how it is possible. Many would say organisation, a good team and systems. Many think I am just smart, but my wife would just laugh at that.

But I am not alone. Many in the world are able to work less, be financially free and happy.

What is the secret?

To be honest, I do not think there is one. But there are a few things that may help. They certainly work for me, so maybe they will for you, too.

• It’s about Priorities!

I think I love my ‘’To Do’’ list more than my wife – just don’t tell her that.

Work out what you want to achieve. Some things must be done. Others need to be done. Then you have those that must be done to achieve the goal you want.

I like to think that I work out those things only I must do and work out those actions I need to perform that will have the most impact. The rest can wait.

• Delegate! Delegate! and Delegate!

I get it. No one is as good as you. The problem is it will slow you down, slow your business down, and great team members leave you because they are not challenged enough.

Learn to trust your team. And remember, they will screw up. What are the chances out of 12 people in my team, someone is not screwing up right now? Sometimes they will screw up big time. But you did not get to where you are because you never screwed up. Our best learnings are when we screw up.

When you delegate, you can focus on things you need to do and leave the rest to someone else. Your job is to ensure they are accountable and do what they are supposed to do.

• Learn to Say No

I am happy to say no more than I say yes.

Time is the one of our finite resources. Don’t waste it on things that will not make an impact on what you are trying to do.

Humans do not like to say no especially if opportunities arise. But at WOW! Advisors we are happy to do it if we feel potential customers or clients don’t align to our values.

I also have certain rules too. Generally, I refuse to work on Fridays even if asked. It ensures I have free time for other things that matter.

Again, remember what the goal is. Does saying yes meet the goal?

• Balance it

If you work 70% with your business, that leaves you with 30% for everything else. Seems a bit unfair to me.

Theoretically, I could probably get away with working one week on and one week off.

Problem is, it would probably drive me nuts. I know many business owners who would not like to work less than a normal full working week. And that is fine – provided that is what they really want.

What is the balance for you? Only you know.

• Own Your Diary

Make sure the key things you want to achieve are in and never get changed unless necessary. For me, that means Tuesday and Thursday early mornings are always booked out because these are my training and fitness mornings. Wednesdays I like to keep free for marketing, growing the business, and catching up with my network.

Stick to it, and that way, it gets done.

• It will go wrong!

I always work on the principle that shit happens. It does not matter what you do, but things will go wrong. And there is no point in worrying too much about something until it happens. Yes, plan for what you can, but don’t go overboard.

When things go wrong, don’t worry too much. Analyse it to death. Work out what needs to change so that it does not happen again. Then move on.

• Health is happiness, not money.

Nothing will kill your happiness than ill health or limited mobility.

Health is the ultimate wealth because, without money, you can still live and enjoy experiences. Poor health limits your experiences, no matter how much money you have.

So make a habit to eat well, schedule exercise regularly, and rest when you need to. Remember, a healthy body leads to a healthy mind, and a healthy mind is more productive and creative.

Hopefully, some of these will resonate with you. Operating an efficient, lean, mean machine of a business and working less are steps 1-5 of our 9 steps to working less, earning more and building real wealth. If you would like to know more, contact Hitesh at hitesh@wowadvisors.com.au or Ros at ros@wowadvisors.com.au or call 07 3161 9548.