The One Habit Practiced by High Performers

School for Professionals

BUSINESS / PSYCHOLOGY / HISTORY / PHILOSOPHY

📚 Business Vol.01

The one habit practiced by

high performers

── Create "systems" rather than relying on effort

📖 Target Audience: Business professionals in their 20s to 40s

"I work late every day, yet for some reason, I'm not recognized."

"Why does that colleague always seem to get results so effortlessly?"

The difference isn't talent or luck. It's just one habit.

🔑 What you will learn in this article

High performers don't increase the "amount of effort" they put in;

they first create "systems that don't require effort."

01

Why does effort go unrewarded?

There is an "effort myth" that many people believe in.

"The harder you work, the better the results"—this is half true and half a trap.

Instead of increasing your workload,

Focus your efforts where they have leverage.

— Greg McKeown, "Essentialism"

Drucker also said, "Effective people start with their time." In other words, they design how they use their time first. Before working hard, the "selection and concentration" of what to work hard on comes first.

02

The "Three Mechanisms" Used by High Performers

①

Protect your "first 90 minutes of the morning"

The brain's golden time is the 2-3 hours after waking up. Do not check emails or Slack. Use this time to finish only the "most important task of the day." This alone will make your daily productivity like that of a different person.

②

Create a "not-to-do list"

Anyone can make a to-do list. But high performers have a "not-to-do list." By deciding your criteria for saying no in advance, you won't have your time stolen by useless work.

③

Make course corrections with a "weekly review"

Every Friday for 15 minutes, record "what went well and why." By running the PDCA cycle quickly, you create a mechanism to avoid repeating the same mistakes.

03

The Power of 'Systematization' Proven by History

This is not just a story about modern business. Tokugawa Ieyasu was not the strongest warlord of the Sengoku period. He possessed neither Nobunaga's military might nor Hideyoshi's charisma.

However, Ieyasu was able to unify the country because he continuously built 'systems for waiting' and 'organizational systems.' The Sankin-kotai system and the Shogunate-domain system—these were all 'systems that allowed the country to run even without his presence.' The person who builds the system wins in the end. History teaches us this.

✦ Summary ✦

📝 3 Actions You Can Start Today

Before opening your email tomorrow morning, write down your 'one most important task for the day' first.

Reflect on one thing you 'managed to say no to' this week and put your criteria for saying no into words.

Every Friday, spend 15 minutes writing down only 'what went well'.

It is not talent or luck, but 'whether or not you built a system' that creates the difference 10 years from now. Are you trying to increase your effort right now? Or are you trying to build a system?

💬 Let me know in the comments

Which system did you think, 'This is useful!'?

1. Morning 90 minutes 2. To-don't list 3. Weekly review