--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Imagine working 20% smarter instead of…" description: "\"Imagine working 20% smarter instead of 20% longer...Work-life balance and startup success at any stage aren't mutually exclusive. There are enough hour..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/david-cummings-231103_balance_imagine-working-20-smarter-instead-of-20_2618218.jpg" --- # Imagine working 20% smarter instead of 20%… ![“Imagine working 20% smarter instead of 20% longer...Work-life balance and startup success at any stage aren't mutually exclusive. There are enough hours in the day to be effective and present.” quote by David Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/david-cummings-231103_balance_imagine-working-20-smarter-instead-of-20_2618218.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/david-cummings-231103_balance_imagine-working-20-smarter-instead-of-20_2618218.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ebe/david-cummings-231103_balance_imagine-working-20-smarter-instead-of-20_2618218.jpg) > “Imagine working 20% smarter instead of 20% longer...Work-life balance and startup success at any stage aren't mutually exclusive. There are enough hours in the day to be effective and present.” David Cummings ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Working smarter, not longer, balances life and fuels startup success; efficiency yields results without extra hours. **In simple terms:** Work smarter, balance life. Key Takeaway Prioritize efficient work. Themes productivity balance startup Mood motivational pragmatic Type Balance:1 Enough:0 Exclusive:0 Hours:0 Hours in the day:0 Imagine:0 Insirational:0 Life balance:0 Smarter:1 Stage:0 Success:0 Work and life balance:0 Work life balance:0 Work-Life Balance:0 Work Life:0 Longer Work:0 Working 20:0 Startup Success:0 When to use this quote - remote work - project planning - personal health Key Concepts time management efficiency entrepreneurship Questions to Reflect On - How can you increase efficiency in your tasks? - What boundaries help maintain work‑life balance? A Different Perspective Efficiency alone may not replace needed effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Hours in the day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hours-in-the-day/) [Insirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insirational/) [Life balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-balance/) [Stage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stage/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Work and life balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-and-life-balance/) [Work Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-life/) [Work life balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-life-balance/) [Work-Life Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-life-balance-2/) ## Related quotes > [I always had a very strong sense of responsibility, so the minute I started to work in fashion, I was always tremendously serious-too much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frida-giannini/i-always-had-a-very-strong-sense-of-responsibility-so-the-minute-i/) [Frida Giannini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frida-giannini/) > [I have been working since I was 20, and I'm 38. I actually once averaged out what I had made over my professional life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/i-have-been-working-since-i-was-20-and-i-m-38-i-actually-once/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [When you're working on film music, you're only working on 20, 30-minute sections at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-shore/when-you-re-working-on-film-music-you-re-only-working-on-20-30-minute/) [Howard Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-shore/) > [When you work extra, you should be paid extra. That's what the Fair Labor Standards Act said. And I've met so many people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perez/when-you-work-extra-you-should-be-paid-extra-that-s-what-the-fair/) [Tom Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perez/) > [“Startup success can be engineered by following the right process, which means it can be learned, which means it can be taught.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/startup-success-can-be-engineered-by-following-the-right-process/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [“Startup success is not a consequence of good genes or being in the right place at the right time. Startup success can be engineered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/startup-success-is-not-a-consequence-of-good-genes-or-being-in-the/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [If you want to build a startup that has a good chance of succeeding, don't listen to me. Listen to Paul Graham and others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arrington/if-you-want-to-build-a-startup-that-has-a-good-chance-of-succeeding/) [Michael Arrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-arrington/) > [“After more than ten years as an entrepreneur, I came to reject that line of thinking. I have learned from both my own successes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/after-more-than-ten-years-as-an-entrepreneur-i-came-to-reject-that/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [Startup success is driven most by the product passion, quality, vision, team-work and persistence of the founding team and the talent that the team…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-breyer/startup-success-is-driven-most-by-the-product-passion-quality-vision/) [Jim Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-breyer/) > [I've made a lot of enemies in all the right places, and there aren't enough hours in the day to respond to either the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/i-ve-made-a-lot-of-enemies-in-all-the-right-places-and-there-aren-t/) [Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/) > [Unless we fix certain hours in the day for prayer, it easily slips from our memory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/unless-we-fix-certain-hours-in-the-day-for-prayer-it-easily-slips/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [There are twelve hours in the day, and above fifty in the night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-de-rabutin-chantal-marquise-de-sevigne/there-are-twelve-hours-in-the-day-and-above-fifty-in-the-night/) [Marie de Rabutin-Chantal, marquise de Sevigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-de-rabutin-chantal-marquise-de-sevigne/) > [Our focus was directed at developing the best possible and easiest to use product, and this is where we invested our time. Realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-benioff/our-focus-was-directed-at-developing-the-best-possible-and-easiest-to/) [Marc Benioff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-benioff/) > [Never say never, but there are not enough hours in the day!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-mone/never-say-never-but-there-are-not-enough-hours-in-the-day/) [Michelle Mone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-mone/) > [So many wonderful books to write, and not enough hours in the day. An embarrassment of riches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/so-many-wonderful-books-to-write-and-not-enough-hours-in-the-day-an/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. 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Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Imagine working 20% smarter instead of 20% longer...Work-life balance and startup success at any stage aren't mutually exclusive. 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