About twenty years ago, I landed what I thought was my absolute dream job. You know that feeling when you find the perfect role? You’ve done the studies, you step into it, you absolutely love it, and you say to yourself, “This is the one for me.”
(me 25 years ago with a few colleagues)
Yet, after just three years in that position, I resigned.
Bonjour. In this video, I want to share how fine-tuning and slightly improving your ways of working can have a massive impact, not only on your performance but on your entire life.
Two decades ago, I secured a leadership role at British Airways in France. Having trained originally as a mechanical and electrical engineer, finding a job in the airline industry was a perfect fit. I had also completed an MBA, so this role beautifully combined the technical business side with an industry I was deeply passionate about. Then, reality hit. I suddenly found myself managing fourteen direct reports with a mountain of work to do. I quickly discovered the “joy” of working for a global company, which meant a 24/7 stream of non-stop emails. On top of that, I was part of a leadership team where we spent practically our entire lives sitting in meetings.
My default strategy to cope with the pressure was simple: work harder and harder. I stayed later in the office. I brought more and more work home with me on evenings and weekends. Little by little, I found that this dream job was becoming completely unsustainable. TK had just moved from England to France to be with me, and we both looked at each other and realised—this was not the life we wanted.
This week, TK and I are in Scotland, and we actually flew with British Airways. Being back on one of their flights brought all these memories rushing back. It reminded me of the painful moment I chose to walk away from a company I loved.
Back then, I realised something profound: despite all the high-level education I had received, no one had ever actually taught me how to work. My only tool was brute force—working longer hours. That realisation planted a seed. Later on, I took my first course on personal efficiency, and it was a complete “aha” moment. I finally understood that you can challenge and change your ways of working, and it can completely transform your life.
If you are feeling overwhelmed by your current workload, here are three simple steps you can take:
1. Learn it.
Managing your time and workload effectively is not rocket science. There are brilliant resources out there. You can look at classic books like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People or First Things First by Stephen Covey, The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss, or The Effective Executive by Peter Drucker. (Or, of course, you could read my own book, Work Smarter Live Better!) Whether it’s a book or a structured course, take the time to learn the principles.
2. Practice it.
Don’t just collect information—put it into action. I always say you need to adopt a tool first to understand how it works, and then adapt it so it fits seamlessly into your specific life and routine. Experiment until you find what works for you.
3. Teach it.
The absolute best way to truly master a concept is to explain it to someone else. If you are a manager or you have a team working alongside you, share these efficiency tips with them. Not only will it help them perform better and reduce their stress, but it will also reinforce the discipline in your own day-to-day life.
Learning how to work smarter completely changed the trajectory of my life. And let me be clear—even though I’ve written a book on this and speak on stages around the world about it, I am still far from perfect. I am constantly looking for ways to improve my own systems.
So, my question to you this: Are you constantly challenging your current ways of working, or have you just accepted that working longer hours is your only option? What is one book, tip, or strategy you can commit to learning and teach someone else?
This is this week’s Work Smarter: Live Better tip.
You have a lovely week.
À bientôt.
Cyril
