Death by a Thousand cuts

Cyril Peupion
3 min readJan 29, 2024

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Ever heard of the term “lingchi”? No worries if you haven’t — it’s an ancient Chinese term that translates to “death by a thousand cuts.” Gruesome, right? Imagine tiny, excruciating tasks piling up until it feels like torture.

In the modern work world, we have our own version — those tasks that nibble away your time and sanity.

Bonjour, in this video, want to share a few simple suggestions so you can spend more time in doing what you love.

I’ve been working with leaders worldwide, dissecting their workloads, and guess what? Many are caught up in these lingchi tasks, things they dislike and avoid at all costs. It’s time to break free, and I’ve got a few straightforward suggestions inspired by Dan Martell’s book, “Buy Back Your Time.”

Here’s your escape plan:

1. Calculate: Figure out your hourly rate. Take your salary, bonus, and extras, then divide by four. If a task feels like a grind, ask yourself: Can I delegate this for one-fourth of my hourly rate? If yes, hit the brakes and delegate!

2. Record: Try a week of tracking your tasks in 15-minute intervals. Jot down what you’re doing, and most importantly, note if you enjoy it. Categorize tasks by their value: low, mid, or high. Soon, you’ll spot the tasks begging for delegation.

3. Delegate: Once you identify those soul-sucking tasks, find someone who can handle them for less than your hourly rate. Trust me, it’s a game-changer. For example, I love creating content but am a bit clumsy with the tech side. Enter Jilord and Kara, my dynamic duo who handle the heavy lifting.

Even in everyday life, Lingchi tasks lurk. Emailing? Jilord’s got it covered. Travel logistics? Tara’s the wizard behind the scenes. Home maintenance? Pete for the garden and John for the DIY disasters I might create.

So, my question for you is this: What are your lingchi tasks, and is it worth delegating them?

This is this week’s Work Smarter: Live Better tip.

Wishing you a fantastic week and here’s to moving away from all those lingchi tasks!

Cheers to less stress and more joy,

A bientôt

Cyril

P.S. Whenever you’re ready… here are 4 ways I can help you be in control

1. Grab a free copy of my weekly plan
It is a simple tool but very important process to spend 2hrs more per day on your business and personal priorities.

https://www.wslb.com/

2. Check my video blogs
For my clients, I record regular tips to keep the momentum on challenging their work habits. I have now made the previous video blogs available to all.

https://www.wslb.com/blog

3. Get a copy of my book, Work Smarter: Live Better
Pushed by my clients, I wrote a book about practical ways to transform your life by changing your work habits.

https://www.wslb.com/book

4. Work with me and my team privately
If you are feeling swamped: by emails, by meetings, by things to do and you’d like me and my team to work directly with you … just send me an email and tell me a little about your team and business, and what you’d like to work on together, and I’ll personally be in touch!

#Leadership
#productivity

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Cyril Peupion

Cyril is the author of ‘Work Smarter: Live Better’, in the top 10 business books in Australia