Marie Claire UK Marie Claire UK
  • Fashion Fashion
      • Fashion
        • View all Fashion
        • Fashion Trends
        • Shopping
        • Watches and Jewellery
        • Fashion News
  • Beauty Beauty
      • Beauty
        • View all Beauty
        • Fragrance
        • Hair
        • Make Up
        • Skincare
        • Nails
        • Marie Claire Beauty Awards
  • Health Health
      • Health
        • View all Health
        • Fitness
        • Nutrition
        • Female Health
        • Wellbeing
  • Life Life
      • Life
        • View all Life
        • Opinions
        • Travel
        • Sustainability
        • Weddings
        • Money & Work
        • Competitions
  • Culture Culture
      • Culture
        • View all Culture
        • TV and Film
        • Celebrity News
        • Books
        • Royal News
  • Vouchers Vouchers
      • Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Mint Velvet
        • Karen Millen
        • H&M
        • nobody's child
        • ASOS
        • ARKET
        • MANGO
      • Designer Clothing
        • View all Vouchers
        • Reiss
        • THE OUTNET
        • SSENSE
        • Mytheresa
        • Liberty London
        • Selfridges
        • Farfetch
      • Accessories
        • View all Vouchers
        • AllSaints
        • Aspinal of London
        • Charles & Keith
        • River Island
        • FitFlop
        • Kate Spade
        • Vagabond
      • Jewellery
        • View all Vouchers
        • Pandora
        • Abbott Lyon
        • Goldsmiths
        • Beaverbrooks
        • Astrid & Miyu
        • Swarovski
        • Angara Jewellery
      • Beauty
        • View all Vouchers
        • Sephora
        • Cult Beauty
        • Space NK
        • Dyson
        • Clarins
        • Look Fantastic
        • Clinique
      • Activewear
        • View all Vouchers
        • Lululemon
        • Gymshark
        • Sweaty Betty
        • Nike
        • adidas
        • New Balance
        • Helly Hansen
  • NEWSLETTER Signup to our newsletter
  • logoCreated with Sketch.
    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!


    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    You are now subscribed

    Your newsletter sign-up was successful


    An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
    Trending
    • Women in Sport 2026
    • Marie Claire Masters
    • Spring Summer 2026
    • Nail Trends 2026
    • Best Investment Bags
    • Best Perfumes
    • Digital Issues
    • Women Who Win
    1. Life
    2. Money and Work

    The Lazy Winner

    Forget the endless multi-tasking- now there's a theory that says doing less actually achieves more...

    By Marie Claire
    Published 12 November 2012 In Features

    When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

    MC@work
    MC@work
    (Image credit: Rex Features)
    • Facebook
    • X
    • Pinterest
    Share this article
    Join the conversation
    Follow us
    Add us as a preferred source on Google
    Subscribe to our newsletter

    Forget the endless multi-tasking- now there's a theory that says doing less actually achieves more...

    The Lazy Winner

    Forget the endless multi-tasking- now there's a theory that says doing less actually achieves more. Anna Pursglove investigates...

    The Lazy Winner

    The Lazy Winner

    MC@work
    (Image credit: Rex Features)

    Forget the endless multi-tasking- now there's a theory that says doing less actually achieves more. Anna Pursglove investigates...

    1. Weigh up your options

    1. Weigh up your options

    MC@work
    (Image credit: Rex Features)

    To help decide whether you should try to negotiate a job offer, research the remuneration package you expect, as well as the current market rates for the type of role you've been offered. It is helpful to have an idea of what your minimum, expected, and dream salary would be.

    80/20 rule

    80/20 rule

    MC@work
    (Image credit: Rex Features)

    This states that 80 per cent of consequences stem from just 20 per cent of the causes. In other words, we wear 20 per cent of our clothes, 80 per cent of the time; we spend 80 per cent of our time with 20 per cent of acquaintances. The point is to identify that productive 20 per cent of your effort, and to not do any more than that. 'You need to identify something that you're over doing, advises Peter.

    You may like
    • A woman scrolling on her phone, working on her laptop on the floor 7 Avoidable Everyday Habits That Could Be Draining Your Energy Without You Realising
    • A woman stretching on a yoga mat Forget Morning Routines—Experts Say 'Micro-Recovery' Is the Wellness Habit to Prioritise
    • Health freelancer Ashleigh embracing low-stimulation moments—camping, going off grid, and trail running in the countryside. I've Been Stacking My Week With Low-Stimulation Moments—and It's Made Me Happier, Calmer, and More Productive

    Learn to say no

    Learn to say no

    MC@work
    (Image credit: Rex Features)

    The thing to keep in mind, says Peter, is that saying yes might save time now but it's going to eat a lot of it up later. Gandhi, apparently, was big on this and once said: 'A 'no' uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a 'yes' uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.' He was onto something.

    Give up multitasking

    Give up multitasking

    MC@work
    (Image credit: Rex Features)

    Single-tasking makes us more efficient, less stressed and gives better results. It also avoids working at 100 per cent capacity, anathema to the lazy winner apparently. When we keep a bit back, goes the theory, we allow ourselves to deal with the unexpected and also stay open to oppprtunities.

    Marie Claire Newsletter

    Celebrity news, beauty, fashion advice, and fascinating features, delivered straight to your inbox!

    By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

    Find your Key influences

    Find your Key influences

    MC@work
    (Image credit: Rex Features)

    A quick way to make yourself a lazy winner, says, Peter, is to hang out with them. We are, say psycologists, the average of the five people who influence us most, so you need to be careful who's on your list.

    The Lazy Winner

    The Lazy Winner

    MC@work
    (Image credit: Rex Features)

    You know you're a lazy winner when...

    1. Your inbox is empty.
    2. Your to-do list is short enough to be tweeted.
    3. You never say yes because you feel guilty.
    4. You know exactly how much work needs to be done, and can stop when you've done it.
    5. You're mindful of how work can be reused or recycled.
    6. You take no pride in multi-tasking.
    7. You feel no compulsion to operate at 100 per cent capacity.
    8.You have enough time to consider new opportunities as they arise.

    Marie Claire
    Social Links Navigation

    The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.

    Read more
    A woman scrolling on her phone, working on her laptop on the floor
    Female health 7 Avoidable Everyday Habits That Could Be Draining Your Energy Without You Realising
    A woman stretching on a yoga mat
    Wellbeing Forget Morning Routines—Experts Say 'Micro-Recovery' Is the Wellness Habit to Prioritise
     
     
    Health freelancer Ashleigh embracing low-stimulation moments—camping, going off grid, and trail running in the countryside.
    Wellbeing I've Been Stacking My Week With Low-Stimulation Moments—and It's Made Me Happier, Calmer, and More Productive
    Roxie Nafousi x Elevate
    Wellbeing The New Era of Manifestation Is Less About Vision Boards—and More About Self-Worth
     
     
    Latest in Money and Work
    Analog Times - Wine and cards game night on luxurious burgundy fabric - TVS
    Money and Work The Gambling Industry's Newest Bet? Women
    Well-dressed businesswoman walking on the street of Manhattan, New York and talking on the phone while heading to work during one autumn day.
    Money and Work Is Gen Z Really Lazy at Work, or Just Done with Burnout Culture?
     
     
    Milan, Italy - 20 February 2020: Stylish persons are posing for photographers before Max Mara fashion show on Milan Woman's Fashion Week F/W2020-2021, street style - stock photo
    Money and Work Women Are Delaying This Financial Step, But It Could Be Easier Than You Think.
     Student Loan
    Money and Work I Can’t Keep Up With My Student Loan — Millions of British Graduates Can’t Either
     
     
    Latest in Features
    The Beauty Digest
    Beauty The Beauty Digest: Head Spas, Coco Mademoiselle Reimagined, and What the TPO Ban Really Means
    The long hair trend and the post-bob era
    Hair I’ve Spent Two Years Growing My Bob—Turns Out, There's a Reason Long Hair Is Trending
     
     
    @nlmarilyn in transitional autumn outfits
    Fashion Goodbye Summer Dresses, I'm in Autumn Outfit Planning Mode—These 5 Are Fresh
    Arsenal footballer and Lioness Chloe Kelly
    Health and Fitness Women in Sport 2026: Featuring Chloe Kelly, Elite Beauty Products, Grand Prix 2.0 and So Much More
     
     
    logoCreated with Sketch.
    • Site Archive
    • Contact Future's experts
    • Contact us
    • Terms and conditions
    • Advertise with us
    • Privacy policy
    • Cookies policy
    • About us
    Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google

    Marie Claire UK is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

    © Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.