--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To be successful, all you have to do is…" description: "\"To be successful, all you have to do is work half-days; you can work the first twelve hours or the second twelve hours.\" — Don Shula" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/don-shula-11263_being-successful_to-be-successful-all-you-have-to-do-is-w_2970043.jpg" --- # To be successful, all you have to do is work half-days… ![“To be successful, all you have to do is work half-days; you can work the first twelve hours or the second twelve hours.” quote by Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/don-shula-11263_being-successful_to-be-successful-all-you-have-to-do-is-w_2970043.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/don-shula-11263_being-successful_to-be-successful-all-you-have-to-do-is-w_2970043.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/don-shula-11263_being-successful_to-be-successful-all-you-have-to-do-is-w_2970043.jpg) > “To be successful, all you have to do is work half-days; you can work the first twelve hours or the second twelve hours.” [Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success can be achieved by focusing on shorter, intense work periods rather than long, exhausting days. **In simple terms:** Short, focused work beats long, tiring days. Key Takeaway Prioritize efficiency over hours. Themes productivity work-life balance focus Mood motivational pragmatic Type advice practical When to use this quote - coaching - business - personal projects Key Concepts time management efficiency performance optimization Questions to Reflect On - How can you structure your day for peak performance? - What tasks benefit from half‑day focus? A Different Perspective Long hours can cause burnout and diminishing returns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-successful/) [Half days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half-days/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [I have a very set routine. I work six days a week, but only half days. I work from 9 in the morning till…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mayle/i-have-a-very-set-routine-i-work-six-days-a-week-but-only-half-days-i/) [Peter Mayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mayle/) > [I don't work on my Sabbath. I write five-and-a-half or six days a week.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/i-don-t-work-on-my-sabbath-i-write-five-and-a-half-or-six-days-a-week/) [Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/) > [“Cletus had labeled the shredder in the upstairs office suggestion box a year ago when Duane had suggested half days on Fridays. “What”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-reid/cletus-had-labeled-the-shredder-in-the-upstairs-office-suggestion-box/) [Penny Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-reid/) > [When you're in love it's the most glorious two and a half days of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lewis/when-you-re-in-love-it-s-the-most-glorious-two-and-a-half-days-of/) [Richard Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lewis/) > [ I think I was, like, 23 or something \[on The Breakfast Club\]. I was the oldest of the five. Emilio \[Estevez\] and Ally \[Sheedy\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judd-nelson/i-think-i-was-like-23-or-something-on-the-breakfast-club-i-was-the/) [Judd Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judd-nelson/) > [I run my own film school, the Rogue Film School, and I do it over three and a half days, eight hours non-stop everyday;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/werner-herzog/i-run-my-own-film-school-the-rogue-film-school-and-i-do-it-over-three/) [Werner Herzog](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/werner-herzog/) > [Half our days we pass in the shadow of the earth; and the brother of death exacteth a third part of our lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-browne/half-our-days-we-pass-in-the-shadow-of-the-earth-and-the-brother-of/) [Thomas Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-browne/) > [Did not one spend the first half of one's days in dreams of happiness and the second half in regrets and terrors?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mile-zola/did-not-one-spend-the-first-half-of-one-s-days-in-dreams-of-happiness/) [Emile Zola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mile-zola/) > [I'm sure there's a hell of a party in Ireland now and I know I don't have anything to do for two-and-a-half days so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padraig-harrington/i-m-sure-there-s-a-hell-of-a-party-in-ireland-now-and-i-know-i-don-t/) [Padraig Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padraig-harrington/) > [Once in a while our school has half days, and the teachers spend the afternoon 'in service,' which I think must be a group…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/once-in-a-while-our-school-has-half-days-and-the-teachers-spend-the/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [Intelligent too, ooh you my sweetheart. I've always liked my women book and street smart. Long as they got a lil' class like half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drake/intelligent-too-ooh-you-my-sweetheart-i-ve-always-liked-my-women-book/) [Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drake/) > [ Writing \[for the novelist\] is not an activity, but a condition. That is why one simply can't resume the work when one has a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-musil/writing-for-the-novelist-is-not-an-activity-but-a-condition-that-is/) [Robert Musil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-musil/) > [To me, the glass is half-empty some days and half-full on others. Sometimes it's bone-dry. Or overflowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice-monroe/to-me-the-glass-is-half-empty-some-days-and-half-full-on-others/) [Mary Alice Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice-monroe/) > [I started to write a new editor not too long ago and had it about half done after two days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-joy/i-started-to-write-a-new-editor-not-too-long-ago-and-had-it-about/) [Bill Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-joy/) > [I'm a nervous wreck. If it's a 20-day shoot, at lunchtime on the first day, I'm thinking "Only 19 and a half days to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-maddin/i-m-a-nervous-wreck-if-it-s-a-20-day-shoot-at-lunchtime-on-the-first/) [Guy Maddin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-maddin/) ## More by Don Shula > [You can't play enough golf or do any of those other things that fill that kind of excitement that coaching gave me in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/you-can-t-play-enough-golf-or-do-any-of-those-other-things-that-fill/) [Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) > [Peyton Manning is doing things that I think no other quarterback in the history of the league has done at the line of scrimmage...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/peyton-manning-is-doing-things-that-i-think-no-other-quarterback-in/) [Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) > [Failure isn't fatal, and success isn't final.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/failure-isn-t-fatal-and-success-isn-t-final/) [Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) > [As a coach, your high standards of performance, attention to detail and - above all - how hard you work set the stage for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/as-a-coach-your-high-standards-of-performance-attention-to-detail-and/) [Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) > [I'm not going to worry about the critics until some of my peers start saying I'm a softie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/i-m-not-going-to-worry-about-the-critics-until-some-of-my-peers-start/) [Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) > [I have no magic formula. The only way I know to win is through hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/i-have-no-magic-formula-the-only-way-i-know-to-win-is-through-hard/) [Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) > [I never felt I knew it all. I always felt there's something new to learn, something new to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/i-never-felt-i-knew-it-all-i-always-felt-there-s-something-new-to/) [Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) > [He wants to be his own man and be recognized for what he's done. He's not asking for anything because of his name. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/he-wants-to-be-his-own-man-and-be-recognized-for-what-he-s-done-he-s/) [Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) > [Leadership implies movement toward something and convictions provide that direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/leadership-implies-movement-toward-something-and-convictions-provide/) [Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) > [Success is not forever, and failure is never final.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/success-is-not-forever-and-failure-is-never-final/) [Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) > [If you're going to take gambles, you must have one thing: self-confidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/if-you-re-going-to-take-gambles-you-must-have-one-thing-self/) [Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) > [The ultimate goal is victory. And if you refuse to work as hard as you possibly can toward that aim, or if you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/the-ultimate-goal-is-victory-and-if-you-refuse-to-work-as-hard-as-you/) [Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) > [I don't know any other way to lead but by example.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/i-don-t-know-any-other-way-to-lead-but-by-example/) [Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) > [And then to end up with a total of 347 wins, averaging 10 regular season wins for 33 years and the best winning percentage,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/and-then-to-end-up-with-a-total-of-347-wins-averaging-10-regular/) [Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) > [Sure, luck means a lot in football. Not having a good quarterback is bad luck.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/sure-luck-means-a-lot-in-football-not-having-a-good-quarterback-is/) [Don Shula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) [Explore all 60 Don Shula quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/) ## More Being successful quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [The vast majority of organizations today have more than enough intelligence, experience and knowledge to be successful. What they lack is organizational health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-lencioni/the-vast-majority-of-organizations-today-have-more-than-enough/) [Patrick Lencioni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-lencioni/) > [To be successful, one must take chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-be-successful-one-must-take-chances/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) > [Business is always a struggle. There are always obstacles and competitors. There is never an open road, except the wide road that leads to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kirubi/business-is-always-a-struggle-there-are-always-obstacles-and/) Chris Kirubi > [You cannot be successful without passion. If you don't love what you're doing, if you don't have passion for it - forget it. Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/you-cannot-be-successful-without-passion-if-you-don-t-love-what-you/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [You can't not be a little different from others and be successful for three decades.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sheen/you-can-t-not-be-a-little-different-from-others-and-be-successful-for/) [Charlie Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sheen/) > [Everyone has a breaking point, turning point, stress point, the game is permeated with it. The fans don't see it because we make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-winfield/everyone-has-a-breaking-point-turning-point-stress-point-the-game-is/) [Dave Winfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-winfield/) > [If you increase the number of rockets you build and you buy, then it's the scale of the economy, the price is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-chiao/if-you-increase-the-number-of-rockets-you-build-and-you-buy-then-it-s/) [Leroy Chiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-chiao/) > [Hockey is a unique sport in the sense that you need each and every guy helping each other and pulling in the same direction…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-gretzky/hockey-is-a-unique-sport-in-the-sense-that-you-need-each-and-every/) [Wayne Gretzky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-gretzky/) > [There has always been a display of wealth and always will be, until the depression comes, which it always does. And let me tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/there-has-always-been-a-display-of-wealth-and-always-will-be-until/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I think there is a big and significant difference between being a leader and being a manager-leaders lead from the heart. You have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-jung/i-think-there-is-a-big-and-significant-difference-between-being-a/) [Andrea Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-jung/) > [There's nobody that wants the president to be successful more than I.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-r-clapper/there-s-nobody-that-wants-the-president-to-be-successful-more-than-i/) [James R. Clapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-r-clapper/) > [Don't worry about your individual numbers. Worry about the team. If the team is successful, each of you will be successful, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/branch-rickey/don-t-worry-about-your-individual-numbers-worry-about-the-team-if-the/) [Branch Rickey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/branch-rickey/) > [We have to be successful at the cutting-edge industries of the future like Twitter. But we also have always been a country that makes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-have-to-be-successful-at-the-cutting-edge-industries-of-the-future/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Also, it's not the mathematical skill that's critical to winning, it's the discipline of being able to stick to the system. There are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blair-hull/also-it-s-not-the-mathematical-skill-that-s-critical-to-winning-it-s/) Blair Hull [Browse all 1,002 Being successful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-successful/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To be successful, all you have to do is work half-days; you can work the first twelve hours or the second twelve hours.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Don Shula" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/to-be-successful-all-you-have-to-do-is-work-half-days-you-can-work/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Being successful" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/to-be-successful-all-you-have-to-do-is-work-half-days-you-can-work/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/don-shula-11263_being-successful_to-be-successful-all-you-have-to-do-is-w_2970043.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/don-shula-11263_being-successful_to-be-successful-all-you-have-to-do-is-w_2970043.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c03/don-shula-11263_being-successful_to-be-successful-all-you-have-to-do-is-w_2970043.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To be successful, all you have to do is work half-days; you can work the first twelve hours or the second…” — Don Shula", "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": "Don Shula", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-shula/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To be successful, all you have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/to-be-successful-all-you-have-to-do-is-work-half-days-you-can-work/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-shula/to-be-successful-all-you-have-to-do-is-work-half-days-you-can-work/#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 } } ] } ```