The 4-Hour Workweek in Real Life – How to Work Less & Achieve More

In the recent episode of the Master Delegator podcast, host Kristy Yoder unpacks exactly how she and other entrepreneurs make those principles work in real life.

LISTEN ON ITUNES | LISTEN ON SPOTIFY

Kristy, founder and CEO of Smart VAs, not only scaled her business from one to seventy team members but did so by applying the powerful ideas of delegation, automation, and systems.

Whether you’re a solopreneur, an early-stage founder, or someone deeply entrenched in the grind, here’s a comprehensive look at Kristy’s practical approach to building a business that supports your lifestyle, energy, and goals—without burning you out.

Redefining “Lazy Entrepreneur”: Strategic Laziness for Outsized Results

Kristy opens with an honest confession: she calls herself a “lazy entrepreneur”—but not in the way you might think. It’s not about avoiding work altogether. Instead, it’s about finding and applying the easiest, smartest way to achieve results. This means focusing effort on what truly matters, while systemizing, automating, and delegating the rest.

“A lazy entrepreneur isn’t someone who avoids work altogether. Nope. It’s someone who’s strategically lazy, meaning they find the smartest, most efficient way to get things done without doing all the work themselves.”

This mindset is not about escaping responsibility; rather, it’s about owning your highest-value contributions and freeing yourself (and your energy) from tasks that bog you down. Instead of being shackled to the belief that you must do it all, the “strategically lazy” entrepreneur ruthlessly prioritizes, systematizes, and builds support structures—whether that’s tech, automation, or people.

The 80/20 Rule: Double Down on What Moves the Needle

One of the most actionable lessons Kristy shares is the application of the 80/20 Rule (Pareto Principle) to all aspects of business. The majority of your results come from a fraction of your actions.

How to Use the 80/20 Rule in Business:

Identify the 20% of tasks driving 80% of your revenue, growth, or success. These might be networking, sales, high-level strategy, or content that attracts ideal leads.

Eliminate or delegate the other 80%, which often consists of repetitive, admin-heavy, or “busywork” activities with minimal payoff.

Kristy candidly describes her own transformation:

“When I started my virtual assistant agency, Smart VAs, I was doing everything myself... But once I learned about the 80/20 rule, I took a step back and analyzed my workload. I delegated admin work, sales, customer service and my whole operations to my team.”

By analyzing her own schedule, Kristy realized her genius was in relationship-building and marketing—so that’s where she invested her energy. Everything else? She delegated, automated, or eliminated.

Actionable 80/20 Challenge:

For one week, track your tasks and sort them into high-impact (20%) and low-impact (80%). Systematically begin eliminating, automating, or delegating the low-impact tasks.

Delegate Everything That Doesn’t Need You

Delegation is more than a leadership “hack”—it’s the engine that powers scalable growth. Kristy illustrates an important nuance: not everything needs your personal stamp. If it doesn’t require your expertise or bring you joy, let it go. But before you delegate, first ask: can this be eliminated or automated instead?

“The things you keep for yourself should not only be tasks that require your expertise, but also things that bring you joy. Because even if you’re the only one who can do it, if you’re not passionate about it, you’ll eventually feel drained and resentful.”

Kristy’s Delegation System:

Make a “Not Me” List: Write down all tasks that don’t need your unique skills or passion.

Hire a Virtual Assistant (VA): VAs can handle a broad spectrum of tasks—from admin and customer support to social media and bookkeeping.

Create Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): SOPs empower your team to complete recurring tasks without your constant involvement.

Kristy credits this approach to freeing her from micromanaging and enables her to focus deeply on activities that drive excitement and revenue.

Automation: Set It and Forget It (Mostly)

For many, “automation” sounds intimidating—evoking visions of advanced tech or complicated coding. Kristy busts this myth wide open:

“Automation doesn’t require coding... you just set it up once and then it runs on its own. All you need to do is monitor and make sure everything is working smoothly—and you can even delegate that to a virtual assistant.”

Where to Start Automating:

Emails & Scheduling: Tools like Calendly, Zapier, and email autoresponders can automate bookings and follow-ups.

Invoicing & Payments: Recurring payments and invoices can be set up through QuickBooks or Stripe.

Marketing & Lead Nurturing: Use Buffer or Later for social scheduling, and ConvertKit or Mailchimp for effortless lead nurturing.

A key insight? Automation is not “set and forget”; Kristy develops the strategy (e.g., creating a book summary series for clients) and then sets up the system to deliver it automatically. This hybrid approach—using your creativity to design value, then letting technology and team members run the engine—is the sweet spot of modern entrepreneurship.

Stress-Test Your Systems: The “Work-Free” Test Run

Can your business truly run without your day-to-day involvement? Kristy suggests a simple, powerful test: step away, first for half a day, then progressively longer, and see what breaks. Any gaps in delegation or automation will become glaringly obvious—and you’ll have a prioritized list of what to fix.

This test breakdown highlights both technical dependencies and hidden bottlenecks rooted in trust or unclear responsibilities—a reality check many entrepreneurs avoid.

Protect Your Time Like a CEO

To achieve the coveted flexible lifestyle, intentional time protection is vital. Kristy’s strategies include:

Batching Tasks: Group similar work together to prevent constant switching.

Setting Boundaries: Create set work hours, say no to midnight emails, and refuse non-essential commitments.

Empowering Your Team: If you’re making every decision, you remain the bottleneck. Grant real authority to trusted team members—and start with small steps if you’re just building a team.

“What’s the point of giving my leaders a position if I don’t give them the authority that comes with it?... Trust doesn’t happen overnight, it’s built through relationship.”

Protecting time is more than just blocking your calendar—it’s building a culture of trust, empowerment, and accountability so your absence is never a catastrophe.

The Four-Hour Workweek Is a Mindset, Not a Miracle

Kristy makes it clear: Very few people will work precisely four hours a week. The real reward of the approach is a business that works for you—at a pace that fits your life. Whether you want to work 4, 10, or 25 hours a week, the point is to replace “being busy” with being impactful.

By creating a structure that enables you to step away or pursue other interests, you protect not just your profits but your health, energy, and joy.

Action Steps: Putting It All Into Practice

Kristy closes the episode—and we’ll close this review—by distilling her method into five concrete, actionable steps. If you’re ready for real transformation, take these to heart:

Identify the 20% of tasks that yield 80% of your business’s results.

Make your “Not Me” list—delegate or automate everything that doesn’t demand your unique expertise or passion.

Set up automation for repetitive tasks—with low-tech, no-code tools if needed.

Test your systems with a ‘mini work-free run’—and fix weak links without delay.

Protect your time and your focus, saying no to distractions and empowering your team wherever possible.

The Bigger Impact

The real legacy of Kristy’s approach is more than profit or productivity. By applying these principles, she not only expanded her own business but also inspired her clients, team, and broader entrepreneurial network to value intentionality, well-being, and real impact.

“By applying these steps that I mentioned, you can work significantly less while still growing your income and impact—not only you’re impacting yourself, but you also impact the people around you.”

Whether you call yourself a “lazy entrepreneur” or a committed visionary, the journey Kristy outlines is available to anyone willing to rethink their approach, invest in systems, trust a team, and focus on what matters most.