How to Lose 10 pounds This Year Without Doing Any Work

written by  Ryan Seamons

What if you could make a one-time decision and lose 10 pounds without any other work?

We’d all like to think that we are in control of the decisions we make on a daily basis. But often our environment plays a much larger role than we will admit.

One study out of Cornell University and the Georgia Institute of Technology confirmed this with plate sizes and calories.

“… a shift from 12–inch plates to 10–inch plates resulted in a 22% decrease in calories. Assuming the average dinner is 800 calories, this simple change would result in an estimated weight loss of more than 10 pounds over the course of one year.” (from jamesclear.com)

Just changing your plate size could help you lose 10 pounds this year.

And this principle applies far beyond health.

Wasted time in meetings is a lot like food on plates.

The more time we give our meetings, the more waste we pack in. Making a one-time decision about how you set up meetings can dramatically reduce wasted time and save everyone energy. Focused meetings are energizing.

Ways you could adjust meetings:

  • Change the default meeting time to 25 or 50 minutes
  • Turn on the meeting timer in zoom
  • Default to cameras on
  • Start meetings by setting expectations

Small environmental changes create outsized benefits.

Here are other “plates” at work:

  • Your desk
  • Your browser
  • Your inbox

What change could you make this week that would have a positive impact throughout this entire year?

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About the Author



Ryan Seamons
writes about more human approaches to modern management.

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