3 Assumptions I Let Go of to Leave Work on Time | How a Sales Job Full of Overtime Changed

■ Introduction: My bag got lighter, but my work remained heavy

In a previous article, I talked about how "lightening the contents of my commute bag made my heart feel lighter too." By reducing my physical load, my daily commute stress was indeed drastically reduced.

However, once I arrived at the office and sat at my desk, a different kind of "weight" would press down on me. Endless tasks, non-stop chat notifications, meetings I had to attend just because...

I used to be a typical "overtime-prone" person. Watching people leave on time and thinking "must be nice," while I stayed in the office until 10:00 PM hitting the keyboard. "If I just work hard, I can handle it," "I have to do every task I'm asked to do." I was convinced of these things, holding more balls than I could handle, and feeling like I was drowning.

But as I organized my "possessions" and "how I spend time at home" through minimalism, I suddenly realized: **"Can't I 'declutter' my work just like I do with my belongings?"**

Just as I carefully selected the contents of my bag, couldn't I narrow down my work tasks to only "what is truly necessary"? When I thought about it that way and changed how I worked, the scenery changed in a surprising way.

Today, I will write about the **"3 work assumptions"I let go of to leave on time and have time for side jobs and hobbies, along with the**"small adjustments"** you can start today.

■ What I let go of ①: The obsession with "100% perfection"

The first thing I let go of was "perfectionism." I think this is a trap that serious people are more likely to fall into.

In the past, even for creating a single document, I aimed for "100%" from the start. "Which font is better here?" "Should the phrasing be more polite?" "I'll include this data just in case."

I would obsess over details and spend hours just on the draft. And the despair I felt when I showed the finished product to my boss, only to be told, "Hmm, the direction is wrong," was indescribable. It becomes hard to fix after spending so much time on it, and my motivation drops.

So I decided to "submit it at 80% (or even 60%) for now." Just as minimalists love the "bare minimum," I decided to aim for the "minimum line to achieve the goal" as quickly as possible.

Specifically,

• Confirm the direction immediately after starting (5 minutes)

• Show it once the framework is done (30 minutes)

• Do the detailed decoration last

I stuck to this thoroughly. Strangely enough, a rough draft submitted in 30 minutes at 60% quality actually moves work forward faster than a document that took 3 hours to make while aiming for 100%. I get feedback from my boss sooner, and there is less rework.

Since switching to this mindset of "it doesn't have to be perfect, just get it out quickly," the time I spend working overtime while struggling alone has decreased dramatically.

■ What I let go of ②: The sense of duty to "attend every meeting"

The next thing I let go of was the assumption that "I have to attend every meeting I'm invited to."

I think this is a common experience for office workers, but don't you ever find your calendar completely filled with "regular meetings" or "sharing sessions"? In the past, even for meetings where I didn't have much to say, I felt that since I was invited, it would be rude not to attend. But all I would do during those meetings was work on other tasks or just stare blankly while listening. This is a massive waste of time for both me and the company, isn't it?

So, I decided to be bold and start "choosing" my meetings. Of course, I can't decline all of them. But I started checking in advance by asking, "Is my participation in this meeting essential? Would it be okay if I just reviewed the minutes later?"

At first, I was afraid people would think I wasn't motivated. But when I actually asked, I was surprised to find that people often said, "Oh, you're right, this is just for sharing, so it's fine if you just check the minutes later." Often, the other party had just included me in the member list out of habit.

Even when I do attend, I try asking, "Could I be excused once my part is finished?" I then use the "non-meeting time" I've secured for tasks that require deep focus.

Just by having the mindset that **"time is my own possession,"** I started to see white space appearing on my calendar.

■ What I let go of #3: The illusion of "multitasking"

The third thing I let go of was **"multitasking."** This might have been the biggest cause of brain fatigue.

Typing an email, responding immediately to a chat notification, dealing with someone talking to me from the side, and then going back to the email... It gives you a sense of "being busy and working hard," but in reality, I often found that nothing was actually moving forward. Even in neuroscience, it's said that humans cannot multitask (we are just switching tasks at high speed, which puts a huge burden on the brain).

So, I changed my way of working to **"single-tasking" (focusing on one thing at a time)."**

• Close chat tools for the 30 minutes I spend creating documents

• Handle email replies in batches at set times: "morning, noon, and evening"

• Decide "only this one thing for now" and clear everything else off my desk (and desktop)

The effect of "closing the chat" was especially immense. You might feel anxious if you don't reply immediately, but the company won't collapse just because a reply is 30 minutes late. In fact, the quality of your output improves when you finish tasks with focus rather than being interrupted in small increments.

Stop being greedy by trying to do "this and that," and decide "only this for now." It felt exactly the same as reducing physical items and keeping "only what I use now" on my desk.

■ A small trick for leaving on time: "Shortcut keys"

I've talked about the mindset, but finally, I'd like to introduce one concrete and simple technique. That is, **"learning shortcut keys."**

You might think, "Is that it?" But for me, as a minimalist who finds pleasure in "reducing wasted movement," the time spent reaching for the mouse was "noise."

Not just copy and paste (Ctrl+C / Ctrl+V), but also,

• Switching windows (Alt + Tab)

• Closing apps (Alt + F4)

• Switching browser tabs (Ctrl + Tab)

• Show desktop (Win + D)

I ingrained these until my fingers moved automatically. Compared to clicking around with a mouse, you might only save a second or two per action. However, in PC work where you repeat these actions hundreds or thousands of times a day, these "small savings" really add up.

Above all, the feeling of the screen switching in sync with my speed of thought is satisfying. By eliminating the noise of "time spent wondering how to operate" my work rhythm no longer gets interrupted. I feel that leaving work on time is built upon the accumulation of these "one-second savings."

■ Changing how I work created "margin" in my mind

What happened after I changed how I work by "submitting at 80% quality," "reducing meetings," and "focusing on one thing at a time"?

The biggest change is that I have **"reclaimed my own time."**

By being able to go home at a set time (or a reasonable hour), I can now work on a side job on weekday evenings or have hobby time to read books at a leisurely pace. I no longer have time to watch videos like a zombie, as I wrote about in the article regarding "not being able to switch out of work mode even after getting home."

And what was surprising was that **"my evaluation did not drop even though I reduced my work."** In fact, I feel like I am trusted more as "someone who produces results in a limited amount of time" than when I was dragging out overtime. Mistakes have also decreased. It is only natural that you are more accurate when you focus with a brain that isn't exhausted.

■ Conclusion: Have the courage to "choose" your work

The essence of minimalism is "reducing things that aren't important for the sake of things that are." This applies not only to tidying up a room but also to how you work.

What is the time that is truly important in your life? To protect that, let go of excessive perfectionism, habitual meetings, and multitasking.

It takes courage at first. You might feel anxious, wondering, "Will people think I'm slacking off?" or "Will they think I'm cold?" But, there really shouldn't be that many jobs that you have to protect even at the cost of sacrificing yourself.

If there is anyone reading this who feels "it's tough because I'm working too much," please start by doing one thing tomorrow morning: **"close your chat and focus on one thing for just 30 minutes."** That small bit of silence might be the first step toward reclaiming a way of working that is true to you.