It’s getting considerably harder to stay focused these days. With the constant evolution of internet services (Youtube, Twitter, Facebook, to name a few), videos games, movie and tv entertainment, every distraction is now just a click away.
To help you stay ahead of the curve, i have compiled a list of laws. Those can be applied at the office as much as at home. Knowing and understanding them will save you countless deadline misses and sleepless nights.
Pareto Principle
Also known as the 80-20 rule, it dictates that 80% of the results comes from just 20% of the work.
What can be done :
- Devote yourself to the core of your skillset.
- Get rid of the superfluous.
Parkinson’s Law
Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.
Cyril Northcote Parkinson
The reverse is also not true.
What can be done :
- Fix a “time budget” for each task.
- Impose yourself strict deadlines.
Laborit Principle
We spontaneously do…
- What we like … before what put us off.
- What is easy … before what is difficult.
- What goes fast … before what takes time.
- What is urgent … before what is important.
- What we know … before what is new.
- What others impose … before what we choose.
Carlson’s Law
Sune Carlson was a Swedish economist. In the 50’s he conducted research which demonstrated that an employee never work more than 20 minutes without being interrupted. Be it a phone call, a meeting invitation or a simple discussion between colleagues, any work that is interrupted would be more effective if done on a continuous manner.
What can be done :
- Group related tasks together.
- Plan ahead and learn to say no.
Murphy’s Law
Roughly, it states that “Anything that can go wrong will go wrong”. Transposed in a work environment, everything will take much more time to complete than was previously planned.
What can be done :
- Integrate “buffer zones” in your planning.
- Split up important tasks.
- Do regular checkpoints.
Illich’s Law
Past a certain threshold, human efficiency decreases, to the point of becoming negative. Therefore, it is wise to know when to stop.
What can be done :
- Alternate between various kinds of task.
- Fight against perfectionism.
Fraisse’s Law
Time is subjective. This law states that for each individual, time seems to flow faster according to the level of interest in an ongoing task.
What can be done :
- Know your biorythm and its peak hours.
- Plan ahead – hard tasks during optimal mind fitness.
Conclusion
There you have it, with these simple and effective tools in mind you will be able to stay ahead of the game. If you have any other time saving trick to share please do so in the comments below.
Intro image source
Like!