PRINCIPLE 1
Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion
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Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. This is called the Parkinson principle.
Letâs take an example. If you have one day to finish a presentation, that is the exact time you will take to prepare itâŚYou might use two to three hours to think of the layout and what you would like to convey, 4-5 hours on the presentation itself and spend the rest of the day doubting your work, wondering if it is good enough for your audience. The actual final presentation will be finished in only 15 minutes.
Now, letâs take another scenario. If you only had 1 hour to prepare your presentation, you would start by deciding the exact points that you have to cover to get your message across. You then start writing them down on the presentation and quickly decide on the pictures. Finally, you will review for any typo or grammatical mistakes while ensuring that it is coherent, and your point is clear. This is why so many of us think that we can work better under pressure. We donât waste time when we are under pressure because we focus on the real and necessary stuff only. It is human to procrastinate. However, as a Business Owners or Company Managers, you must know which tasks are worth procrastinating for and which require your immediate attention.
PRINCIPLE 2
Make a list of ongoing projects
Your mind works like a computer. Having many incomplete or half completed projects is just like having many open windows on your screen; the efficiency drops, and your work slows down, including time management.
A good solution is to write down a complete list of all cycles or ongoing projects that are currently running. This is known as the open cycles list.
While making the list, ensure that you donât get drowned by smaller tasks. There is no harm in writing down the details so you remember them, however, in your list, the first 5 items or so should be of âfuturist strategic natureâ. These are the tasks that will make your business or role grow and will get you closer to the overall direction and goal you have set up for your company or yourself.
While writing down your tasks, on a piece of paper or digitally, make sure to be specific. Donât just write âCollect creditâ or âmeeting with the sales teamâ but rather write âFaysal AED 10,000; Ali AED 6,500â or âReview the targets with the sales team and decide on an action to rectify the missing salesâ.
Being specific will allow you to close the windows in your mind and recover your energy. It will also keep you focused on the more important things at hand. Update/review or create a list once a day, week or every 15 days and delete some things from your list every now and then.
I have seen that many successful leaders keep a small piece of paper or booklet in their pocket where they write down the tasks that they might forget. Moreover, in the digital era, you have many tools that will help you organize your to-do list. However, make sure that you donât overdo it.
It is a proven fact that if you make a to-do list, your productivity increases by 15% to 20%. Start making a checklist of the things you want to do every week, and if necessary, use the open cycles list as a starting point - then keep that list always ready with you. Keep five minutes a day to write down the plan of the day, and if possible, do it the night before.
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