A few posts back, I noted that we should focus on big things because we become preoccupied with the details of the goals we set for ourselves. So if you set the goal to lose 20 pounds over 6 months, you'll adopt strategies to make that goal a reality when if you set a goal to lost 100 pounds over 6 months, you'll adopt strategies to make that goal a reality. The time doesn't change, nor does the mentality.
I'm currently reading through Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and learned about a concept called Parkinson's Law. Parkinson's Law states the following:
In other words, if somebody gives you six months to complete a task, you're more likely to spend that entire six months on this task.
This is really evident amongst college students. Back when I was in undergrad, there were some professors who were very upfront about a final paper / project due at the end of the course. The professor would encourage students to begin working on it ASAP, and some professors would even encourage students to setup meeting times with them as means to get feedback along the way. Effectively meaning that if you met with the professors as you completed work, you could theoretically complete the paper / project as early as 1-2 weeks after the course's beginning.
Guess how many people took advantage of this?
Pretty much nobody. (Not even my brown-nosing self.)
Moreover, most people waited until the absolute last second to turn in a paper. I recall a guy one time complaining because the professor had closed his door at 10:00am, and the guy had tried turning in the paper at like 10:06am. The student tried complaining that this wasn't fair because the school's printer wasn't working. C'mon, that's a lame excuse. He could have printed out the paper days or even weeks before.
The sad reality is that this happens in business all the time, too. Especially if you don't set hard deadlines. Now, I personally am NOT an advocate of hard deadlines because it tends to promote shoddy work, but I have seen many times where people kicked a can down the road because there were no deadlines.
So, what's the solution to this?
It's going to be subjective, but I think there's a little bit of a strategy you can adopt: don't immediately set hard deadlines but rather setup regular checkpoints to see how things are progressing. I believe that people earn your mentality toward them, so you can adjust this per person as things come along. For your top performers, maybe you cut back these checkpoints or eliminate them altogether. For your bottom performers, maybe you have to start setting hard deadlines. (I am definitely NOT a fan of micromanagement, so let that be your very, very last resort.)
That solution is from a managerial perspective, so is there a solution from a personal perspective? I think yes. Actually, there are a couple strategies you can take.
I'm currently reading through Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck and learned about a concept called Parkinson's Law. Parkinson's Law states the following:
Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.
In other words, if somebody gives you six months to complete a task, you're more likely to spend that entire six months on this task.
This is really evident amongst college students. Back when I was in undergrad, there were some professors who were very upfront about a final paper / project due at the end of the course. The professor would encourage students to begin working on it ASAP, and some professors would even encourage students to setup meeting times with them as means to get feedback along the way. Effectively meaning that if you met with the professors as you completed work, you could theoretically complete the paper / project as early as 1-2 weeks after the course's beginning.
Guess how many people took advantage of this?
Pretty much nobody. (Not even my brown-nosing self.)
Moreover, most people waited until the absolute last second to turn in a paper. I recall a guy one time complaining because the professor had closed his door at 10:00am, and the guy had tried turning in the paper at like 10:06am. The student tried complaining that this wasn't fair because the school's printer wasn't working. C'mon, that's a lame excuse. He could have printed out the paper days or even weeks before.
The sad reality is that this happens in business all the time, too. Especially if you don't set hard deadlines. Now, I personally am NOT an advocate of hard deadlines because it tends to promote shoddy work, but I have seen many times where people kicked a can down the road because there were no deadlines.
So, what's the solution to this?
It's going to be subjective, but I think there's a little bit of a strategy you can adopt: don't immediately set hard deadlines but rather setup regular checkpoints to see how things are progressing. I believe that people earn your mentality toward them, so you can adjust this per person as things come along. For your top performers, maybe you cut back these checkpoints or eliminate them altogether. For your bottom performers, maybe you have to start setting hard deadlines. (I am definitely NOT a fan of micromanagement, so let that be your very, very last resort.)
That solution is from a managerial perspective, so is there a solution from a personal perspective? I think yes. Actually, there are a couple strategies you can take.
- Set really high goals. This alludes back to my post on Thinking Big. If Parkinson's Law states what it states, then you might as well shoot high because you're going to fill that time somehow.
- Establish your own accountability system. We all perform better when we are held accountable somehow, and there are some cases where our goals aren't particularly accountable to anybody. (e.g. losing weight) If you can proactively setup regular checkpoints with an accountability partner, you will be more likely to stay on track.
What all would you add to these lists?
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