1. Only sit in the chair if someone is paying you well to do so. Sitting at a desk for 40 hours a week (for decades) will wreck your body—don’t do it unless you’re being paid to.
2. If it’s exceptionally nice outside (nicer than most days in the last month), take some time off work to enjoy it.
3. Avoid doing discounted work for people who have substantially more money than you.
4. Consider doing discounted work for people with substantially less money than you, especially if you believe you can make a meaningful difference in their business or life.
5. If you work for yourself, remember that you are in charge of your pension and retirement. Charge enough to afford these things, but ensure your work is so good that it’s easily worth it for your clients.
6. If you work for someone else, advocate for a four-day workweek (with eight-hour days). As Parkinson’s Law states, "Work expands to fill the available time." If your employer is worried about a dip in productivity, propose ways to offset that, such as reducing meetings or improving organization.
7. Come to meetings prepared. If you can cut meeting time in half by spending 30 minutes mocking something up, gathering references, or writing, do it. The time you save multiplies by the number of people in the meeting.
8. Avoid working with people who don’t value your time or effort. Sometimes, this may require educating them about the value you bring.
9. Celebrate and show enthusiasm for the contributions of others. A client recently told me a poster I designed was “the most beautiful poster in the world!” It made my day, week, and month. (Thanks, Kate!)
10. Invest as much money as you can into your 401(k) or Roth IRA as early as possible.
11. If you are self-employed, hire a bookkeeper and lawyer as soon as you can. When I went independent in 2012, I told myself that if I couldn’t do it right, I shouldn’t do it at all—so I found a bookkeeper and lawyer right away.

*Most studies on four-day workweeks show increased productivity, along with a significant boost in employee morale.