There are several tips that should help you when using Parkinson’s law to boost your productivity.
Apply the Pomodoro Technique
The Pomodoro technique was introduced by Francesco Cirillo, an author and entrepreneur in the early 1990s. Essentially, the technique revolves around the idea of breaking down a large task into smaller tasks. These small tasks can then be handled in small time intervals called the “Pomodoros.” The system also requires that one should take short breaks in between the Pomodoros. The benefit of using this system to work on large tasks is that it helps to train your brain to concentrate for a short period before continuing to work. Moreover, you will be more productive as you will find it easy to beat deadlines fast.
The short breaks advocated by the technique also guarantees that you are fueled up to continue working for longer. When setting time for each task, the system recommends that you should work for 25 minutes before taking a five minute break. After completing four working cycles (Pomodoros), you should take longer breaks of about 15 to 30 minutes. Evidently, the Pomodoro technique will boost your productivity since you will strive to eliminate distractions when working.
Track Your Time Usage
If you are concerned about your lack of productivity, then it is high time that you track your time usage. Similarly, if you find that you need more time to complete tasks in your to-do list, then there is something that you are doing to take away your productive time. Your productivity will only improve after you are aware of your time usage. This means that you should consider tracking how you spend time. After evaluating how you spend time, you will notice that you waste a lot of time on unnecessary tasks. At the end of the day, this is what affects your productivity. So, it is prudent that you work on tracking your time usage every day.
Take Breaks
Most people get caught up with the idea of being productive and they push themselves to work for longer hours. Interestingly, working overtime could be a sign that you don’t know how to manage your time effectively. Accordingly, before claiming that you want to increase your productivity by working overtime, you should consider the importance of prioritizing tasks. Likewise, taking breaks gives your mind an opportunity to reboot and regain energy to continue working. Therefore, it is not a wise idea to spend the entire day behind your desk with the hopes of finishing more tasks.
Set Deadlines
To ensure that you don’t waste time in a project that could be completed within a short period, you should consider setting shorter deadlines. If you have a week to complete a project, reduce this to three or four days. Working to beat the short deadlines will create more time for you to work on other important assignments. Undeniably, you will be happy that there is more that you can achieve in less time.
The Parkinson’s law is simply based on the notion that you can achieve more by preventing yourself from procrastination. Giving yourself more time to work on an assignment isn’t as helpful as you might think. In fact, it often leads to unproductivity since you will end up wasting a lot of time. Why should you give yourself more time when you know perfectly that you will complete a project at the last minute? As such, the earlier you complete it, the better.
