Cut The Time In Half

I’m sharing a productivity mindset that will help you maximize your effort when done the right way. The core opportunity here is that we spend so much time doing things that are beyond the scope of what is absolutely fundamental to a task or project. It’s one thing to go above and beyond, and overdeliver, and it’s another thing to occupy yourself with doing extra things that are ‘nice to have’.

The lens I want you to try applying to the different deadlines you have in your life, and the question I want you to ask yourself is, “How can I cut the time in half?” When you do this a few really amazing things happen.

First, under the 'cut it in half' time constraints you’re imposing (that makes the task feel like more of a challenge to complete), you need to distill the task into its core responsibilities and deliverables. You don’t have time for the fluff or to delay, you need to take action immediately on the things that are most fundamental to your goal. To meet the task you’ll need to narrow your focus to only what is necessary, and in that way you gain great clarity on what’s essential and what’s not. This all takes place because of something called “Parkinson’s Law”, which is that your work will fill the time you’ve allotted to doing it.

What also happens is you’ll feel a sense of urgency to get your work done in less time, which makes you pick up your baseline pace overall. This faster pace will ripple into other areas of your life, and your heightened productivity will lift your efforts across the board.

So if you intentionally cut the time in half from what you are planning, you’ll find that you execute on the most fundamental pieces quickly. I understand that this isn’t always possible, so consider this mindset something you can use to improve the way you approach tasks rather than stretching yourself to meet even tighter deadlines. It will serve you in that it’ll make you think and act with more focus and intentionality.

So let’s apply it! What project, deadline, or goal do you have where you want to think about cutting the time in half?

If you’re in the US or Canada, text me at 949-799-0788 and I’ll send you daily prompts that help you get to know yourself better and build a more meaningful life every day. 

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