---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have succeeded in getting my actual…"
description: "\"I have succeeded in getting my actual work down to thirty minutes a day. That leaves me eighteen hours for engineering.\" — Charles Proteus Steinmetz"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/charles-proteus-steinmetz-2577_eighteen_i-have-succeeded-in-getting-my-actual-wo_2790841.png"
---

#  I have succeeded in getting my actual work down to thirty…

![“I have succeeded in getting my actual work down to thirty minutes a day. That leaves me eighteen hours for engineering.” quote by Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/charles-proteus-steinmetz-2577_eighteen_i-have-succeeded-in-getting-my-actual-wo_2790841.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/charles-proteus-steinmetz-2577_eighteen_i-have-succeeded-in-getting-my-actual-wo_2790841.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/charles-proteus-steinmetz-2577_eighteen_i-have-succeeded-in-getting-my-actual-wo_2790841.png)

> “I have succeeded in getting my actual work down to thirty minutes a day. That leaves me eighteen hours for engineering.”

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

He reduced his core tasks to a brief daily period, freeing most of his time for creative engineering work.

**In simple terms:** He limited routine work to thirty minutes daily, gaining eighteen hours for engineering.

Key Takeaway

Minimize routine tasks to free time for innovation.

Themes

productivity time management engineering

Mood

motivational pragmatic

Type

advice inspirational

When to use this quote

- daily scheduling
- project planning
- creative work
- personal productivity

Key Concepts

focus efficiency allocation

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you identify tasks to compress?
- What creative projects will you pursue with extra time?

A Different Perspective

May neglect depth in routine tasks if rushed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Engineering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engineering/)

## Related quotes

> [It was not an eventful day. I should have done extraordinary things. I should have sucked the marrow out of life. But on that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-was-not-an-eventful-day-i-should-have-done-extraordinary-things-i/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I seldom think of politics more than eighteen hours a day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/i-seldom-think-of-politics-more-than-eighteen-hours-a-day/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

> [I did the twenty-three-hour Nose route to the top of El Capitan in eighteen hours and twenty-three minutes, I can get over this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-preston/i-did-the-twenty-three-hour-nose-route-to-the-top-of-el-capitan-in/)

[Kelly Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-preston/)

> [“Mother Teresa said that she couldn't imagine doing her work for more than thirty minutes without prayer. Do you and I have work that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-haugen/mother-teresa-said-that-she-couldn-t-imagine-doing-her-work-for-more/)

[Gary Haugen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-haugen/)

> [“Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for the next thirty years, what difference does going "back" four years really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/still-my-argument-was-that-if-she-was-going-to-work-for-the-next/)

[Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/)

> [If you do everything you should do, and do not do anything you should not do, you will, according to the best available statistics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/logain-clendening/if-you-do-everything-you-should-do-and-do-not-do-anything-you-should/)

Logain Clendening

> [“He looked calm and completely at ease. No trace remained of the wild man who had fucked me in the La Perla dressing room…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-lauren/he-looked-calm-and-completely-at-ease-no-trace-remained-of-the-wild/)

[Christina Lauren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-lauren/)

> [A doctor must work eighteen hours a day and seven days a week. If you cannot console yourself to this, get out of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-h-fischer/a-doctor-must-work-eighteen-hours-a-day-and-seven-days-a-week-if-you/)

[Martin H. Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-h-fischer/)

> [I’m always focussed on the actual work, and I think that’s a much more succinct way to describe what you care about than any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-ive/i-m-always-focussed-on-the-actual-work-and-i-think-that-s-a-much-more/)

[Jonathan Ive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-ive/)

> [I always wanted to write when I was a kid; it just never occurred to me that you could have a job that didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/i-always-wanted-to-write-when-i-was-a-kid-it-just-never-occurred-to/)

[Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/)

> [“most people don't get paid for promoting; they get paid for doing actual work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-jarvis/most-people-don-t-get-paid-for-promoting-they-get-paid-for-doing/)

[Paul Jarvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-jarvis/)

> [Growing up working with my dad, I really had no interest in doing the actual work, so I was always like drawing on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-martinez/growing-up-working-with-my-dad-i-really-had-no-interest-in-doing-the/)

[Eddie Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-martinez/)

> [The actual work of reviewing, teaching and learning is human to human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karch-kiraly/the-actual-work-of-reviewing-teaching-and-learning-is-human-to-human/)

[Karch Kiraly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karch-kiraly/)

> [I really act for myself. I really love it. I don't think there's a way that you could handle these schedules, all of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lawrence/i-really-act-for-myself-i-really-love-it-i-don-t-think-there-s-a-way/)

[Jennifer Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lawrence/)

> [Sometimes I think your face and your bearing and your energy have so much more to do with the jobs you get than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-reaser/sometimes-i-think-your-face-and-your-bearing-and-your-energy-have-so/)

[Elizabeth Reaser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-reaser/)

## More by Charles Proteus Steinmetz

> [No evidence or proof of the existence of a God has been found in the phenomena of nature, based on experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/no-evidence-or-proof-of-the-existence-of-a-god-has-been-found-in-the/)

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

> [In the realm of science, all attempts to find any evidence of supernatural beings, of metaphysical concepts, as God, immortality, infinity, etc have thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/in-the-realm-of-science-all-attempts-to-find-any-evidence-of/)

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

> [“There are no foolish questions and no man becomes a fool until he has stopped asking questions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/there-are-no-foolish-questions-and-no-man-becomes-a-fool-until-he-has/)

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

> [As for my memory, I have a particularly good one. I never keep any record of my investigations or experiments. My memory files all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/as-for-my-memory-i-have-a-particularly-good-one-i-never-keep-any/)

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

> [Marking dynamos for repair $10,000.00-2 hours labor $10.00; knowing where to mark $9,990.00.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/marking-dynamos-for-repair-10-000-00-2-hours-labor-10-00-knowing/)

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

> [The mercury light doesn't show red. It makes the blood in your skin look blue-black. But see how splendidly it brings out the green…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/the-mercury-light-doesn-t-show-red-it-makes-the-blood-in-your-skin/)

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

> [“Mathematics is the most exact science, and its conclusions are capable of absolute proof. But this is so only because mathematics does not attempt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/mathematics-is-the-most-exact-science-and-its-conclusions-are-capable/)

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

> [Money is a stupid measure of achievement, but unfortunately it is the only universal measure we have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/money-is-a-stupid-measure-of-achievement-but-unfortunately-it-is-the/)

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

> [Scientific theories need reconstruction every now and then. If they didn't need reconstruction they would be facts, not theories. The more facts we know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/scientific-theories-need-reconstruction-every-now-and-then-if-they/)

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

> [ \[I predict\] the electricity generated by water power is the only thing that is going to keep future generations from freezing. Now we use… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/i-predict-the-electricity-generated-by-water-power-is-the-only-thing/)

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

> [The most important advance in the next fifty years will be in the realm of the spiritual - dealing with the spirit of thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/the-most-important-advance-in-the-next-fifty-years-will-be-in-the/)

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

> [From a mathematical standpoint it is possible to have infinite space. In a mathematical sense space is manifoldness, or combinations of numbers. Physical space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/from-a-mathematical-standpoint-it-is-possible-to-have-infinite-space/)

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

> [The scientist knows that the ultimate of everything is unknowable. No matter What subject you take, the current theory of it if carried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/the-scientist-knows-that-the-ultimate-of-everything-is-unknowable-no/)

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

> [No man really becomes a fool until he stops asking questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/no-man-really-becomes-a-fool-until-he-stops-asking-questions/)

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

> [Spiritual power is a force which history clearly teaches has been the greatest force in the development of men. Ye. we have been merely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/spiritual-power-is-a-force-which-history-clearly-teaches-has-been-the/)

[Charles Proteus Steinmetz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

[Explore all 22 Charles Proteus Steinmetz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/)

## More Eighteen quotes

> [Common sense is nothing more than a deposit of prejudices laid down in the mind before you reach eighteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/common-sense-is-nothing-more-than-a-deposit-of-prejudices-laid-down/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [By the age of eighteen, a human has acquired enough joy and heartache to provide the food of reflection for a century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/by-the-age-of-eighteen-a-human-has-acquired-enough-joy-and-heartache/)

[Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/)

> [My first encounter with yoga was in 1969 with my older brother Doug. I was thirteen years old, and he was eighteen. He'd learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-f-swensen/my-first-encounter-with-yoga-was-in-1969-with-my-older-brother-doug-i/)

[David F. Swensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-f-swensen/)

> [“Caleb frowns at him. "How old are you, anyway?" "Eighteen." "And you don't think you're too old to be with my little sister?" Tobias…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/caleb-frowns-at-him-how-old-are-you-anyway-eighteen-and-you-don-t/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [“It was only as he put his hand on the door that he became aware of complete silence beyond it, a silence which he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/it-was-only-as-he-put-his-hand-on-the-door-that-he-became-aware-of/)

[William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/)

> [“She escaped from the schools when she turned eighteen. And she went on to be a Doctor, because the only way to fight what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-bobet/she-escaped-from-the-schools-when-she-turned-eighteen-and-she-went-on/)

[Leah Bobet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-bobet/)

> [“On my birthday, every year since I turned eighteen, she called me at twelve twenty in the morning to wish me happy birthday and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-a-webb/on-my-birthday-every-year-since-i-turned-eighteen-she-called-me-at/)

[T.A. Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-a-webb/)

> [“So, what do you know about life when you’re eighteen? The rest of your life is nothing but a bunch of big beautiful tomorrows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-abrams/so-what-do-you-know-about-life-when-you-re-eighteen-the-rest-of-your/)

Lauren Abrams

> [My first real acting job was 'Skins' at eighteen years old, and I just kind of grew into myself in those two years; I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-pasqualino/my-first-real-acting-job-was-skins-at-eighteen-years-old-and-i-just/)

[Luke Pasqualino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-pasqualino/)

> [Eighteen months before I was born, my mother was in Auschwitz. She weighed 49 pounds. She always told me that God saved her so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/eighteen-months-before-i-was-born-my-mother-was-in-auschwitz-she/)

[Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/)

> [“Forever feels a long time when you're eighteen. When you're away from home for the first time in your life, when you forge instant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-green/forever-feels-a-long-time-when-you-re-eighteen-when-you-re-away-from/)

[Jane Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-green/)

> [I remember the first time I went to Italy when I was eighteen, I was in Florence and there were all these eighteen, nineteen,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/i-remember-the-first-time-i-went-to-italy-when-i-was-eighteen-i-was/)

[Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/)

> [Seventeen's not so young. A hundred years ago people got married when they were practically our age." "Yeah, that was before electricity and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/seventeen-s-not-so-young-a-hundred-years-ago-people-got-married-when/)

[Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/)

> [ Elle Fanning was fifteen when we started \[The Neon Demon\]. She turned seventeen during the shoot. Four weeks before Cannes, she turned eighteen. She… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-winding-refn/elle-fanning-was-fifteen-when-we-started-the-neon-demon-she-turned/)

[Nicolas Winding Refn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-winding-refn/)

> [Anyone that has come to America past the age of eighteen will be able to understand when I say that you can never shake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-yan/anyone-that-has-come-to-america-past-the-age-of-eighteen-will-be-able/)

[Martin Yan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-yan/)

Browse all 465 Eighteen quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I have succeeded in getting my actual work down to thirty minutes a day. That leaves me eighteen hours for engineering.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Proteus Steinmetz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/i-have-succeeded-in-getting-my-actual-work-down-to-thirty-minutes-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Eighteen"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/i-have-succeeded-in-getting-my-actual-work-down-to-thirty-minutes-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/charles-proteus-steinmetz-2577_eighteen_i-have-succeeded-in-getting-my-actual-wo_2790841.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/charles-proteus-steinmetz-2577_eighteen_i-have-succeeded-in-getting-my-actual-wo_2790841.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a5/charles-proteus-steinmetz-2577_eighteen_i-have-succeeded-in-getting-my-actual-wo_2790841.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I have succeeded in getting my actual work down to thirty minutes a day. That leaves me eighteen hours for…” — Charles Proteus Steinmetz",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Charles Proteus Steinmetz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-proteus-steinmetz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I have succeeded in getting my...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/i-have-succeeded-in-getting-my-actual-work-down-to-thirty-minutes-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-proteus-steinmetz/i-have-succeeded-in-getting-my-actual-work-down-to-thirty-minutes-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```