How to Work Less and Earn More

I have a friend who always tells me that she’s not happy with her work anymore. What’s more, she hasn’t been (happy) for several months already. At first, I was surprised by this confession. After all, she’s one of those happy-go-lucky friends I had way back in college. Plus, whenever I look through her things or even at her Facebook profile, she seems happy and well-off. I ask her what’s making her unhappy. She said that despite the hefty paycheck that she receives every fifteen days, her work doesn’t encourage her to grow as an individual and as a career woman, and she has workmates who have serious attitude problems.

I think this is a pretty alarming issue. As I continued getting to know some of my previous classmates’ and colleagues’ lives, I find out that most of them work JUST for the money. What’s worse, around 50% of them are actually underpaid (and mostly women); it’s just that they don’t think they’ll get another acceptable job if they quit their job. Hence, there goes the salary again.

According to a recent global survey spearheaded by Accenture, women think that they can move up the corporate ladder only if they put in more hours for work. On the other hand, more men think that they can do so because of their skill or talent. In developing nations, particularly, career advancement is also heavily dependent on long hours (men and women). The result herein is that most people tend to work harder just so they can get that promotion or at least get noticed by their superiors. The real deal is this—there are actually ways to work less and yet earn more. I’ll share them to you.

First, you have to give your talents and skills the value that they deserve. Think deeply, and think about the things that you can do exceptionally well. Creativity is often one of the most overlooked skills in the office but it can help for better problem solving and winner marketing techniques.

After that, get out a little bit and show that you can do instead of trying to work longer doing the same routine. This way, you’ll get noticed and people will start respecting you more. There is something that experts call a “disruptive skill set”. That skill set refers to a unique skill set that you have and others don’t. Getting this knows will set apart an individual value for what you bring to the table.

Moreover, speak up. There are a lot of people who have the right skills, the right talents and even the right words at the right time…only they were too afraid to speak up. If a project  interests you and you have an idea that may reap good results out of it, tip your superior about it and lobby for it. Of course the best way to do this is to prepare a little presentation or proposal; but really, you may just skip the formality and tell you idea in its rawest, yet workable form.

Lastly, be your best publicist. You know what you are capable of. Remind the world what those things are and be proud of them. There’s a thin line between being boastful and simply being proud of what you were able to do. The smoothest way to self promote is to cross-reference to other skilled individuals who helped you achieve it and to simply keep doing what you’re doing (because people will notice it eventually). Of course, the first step is still to get noticed. So go back to tip # 2: get out a little bit. Also, try to network better by  having colleague lunches instead of eating alone in your desk. This way, you build better professional relationships and these can help you rise up the ladder at any given time. Don’t worry, it’s not sly at all. It’s just…work.

Good luck in your work,


Your New PR Girl