Parkinson's Law: 4-Step Guide To Shrink Your Work And Get Things Done

• We all have the same number of hours given to us for a day. It’s up to us how we use those hours.
• Productivity means simplifying our work, getting it done in a faster, smarter and efficient way, with the idea of the saved time being used for doing things that we love.
• The concept of managing one’s time, which can’t be stored, borrowed or saved for later use, is the core skill one needs to learn to be productive.

“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”. The most important factor while managing time is the time to completion, the deadline that is assigned to us.

Example: If we have to finish a report in two weeks, we will do it as demanded and present a finished, well-researched report by the end of two weeks. The interesting part is that if we had only three days to make that report, we would still do it. The fact that it took two weeks was just a mental deadline.

Shorter deadlines force us to focus on what’s important: 20 percent of tasks that bring about 80 percent of the results.

Deadlines and time constraints are not our enemies, but a way to help our mind get to work creatively. Set realistic goals and give them short deadlines. Most of the unnecessary work will get eliminated by design. This also helps to plan your days in advance, making sure that we don’t kill time doing unnecessary stuff.

1. Time log your work: Using a time-tracking app, log the work that you do and how much time it takes in the real world.
2. Outline your project goals: Have a clear vision for what you want to do. Having a vague idea of work makes you set long deadlines. Focus on what’s really important and add features later.
3. Prioritize the tasks: If we are not smart with the limited time we have and prioritize our tasks, we would not be able to complete projects on time.
4. Set a timeline: Have an actionable timeline that defines what will be done in a task, by whom and by when. Using insights from your time log you can allot time blocks to the tasks.

Prioritizing your tasks in such a way that makes all the forthcoming tasks easier.

1. Ask yourself ‘What is the one thing that needs to be done which will make everything else easier or unnecessary?’
2. Make a list of the essential tasks using the question above and then begin to work on that list.
3. Delegate important tasks that are not a good use of your time or skill sets. You could find a freelancer or ask help from a team member.
4. Ensure that you only do what is important, removing certain tasks as you move ahead.