How to Use “Artificial Constraints” to Get More Done in Less Time

Nobody cares how long you work. They only care about the results you’re able to produce. So I challenge you to get more done in less time.

No doubt you’ve heard of Parkinson’s law. It says, “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”

But do you believe it’s actually true? What I mean to ask is whether you believe this principle is true for you personally.

Could you finish your daily routine faster if you gave yourself less time to finish? Is it just a concept that’s true in theory? Or does it work in real life?

Pause to consider the implications if it really is true. Does it mean you could finish your workday in six hours if you put your mind to it?

Imagine having an extra two hours per day. That would certainly be fun, wouldn’t it?

What do you think? Is it worth an experiment to see if it works in real life?

Before you answer that...

Checklists are not just for uber-organized people.

Rather, they are tools to dramatically increase your speed.

There’s something satisfying about checking off the items on a checklist. Beyond the sheer satisfaction though, what if using checklists could actually make you smarter and more productive?

Smarter and faster? Here’s how that works:

Free download: How to create your own useful checklists.

Checklists reduce mistakes

One of the common uses of checklists in workplace situations is for complex tasks. In his book The Checklist Manifesto, author and surgeon Atul Gawande explores the use of checklists in daily and professional life.

He points out that even the most basic mistakes can have a cumulative effect, leading to something more serious later on. And that’s one of the reasons airline pilots rely on checklists before every single flight.

It doesn’t matter if an airline pilot has flown the same route in the same aircraft hundreds of times, they...