If you have been reading my blog for more than a few months you know that I am a big believer in the 80/20 rule. Here is one of the posts I wrote about it and basically it shows that a few actions make a big difference, most do not. Your top 5 customers are more important than the other 100. 20% of your daily actions bring 80% of your results. But there is another Law of Nature that I try to employ that is also very effective. It is Parkinson’s Law and in a nutshell, it is another universal rule that says the time to complete a project expands or contracts to the time available.
Parkinson’s Law and the 4 Hour Workweek
Have you ever read the 4 Hour Workweek by Tim Ferris? It was originally written in 2007 and has been one of my favorite books to re-read every year. Ferris writes about how to become laser-focused on activities that make a difference (and also how you can leave the workforce and start your own business.) This is where I first learned about Parkinson’s Law. Ferris writes:
Parkinson’s Law dictates that a task will swell in (perceived) importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its completion. It is the magic of the imminent deadline. If I give you 24 hours to complete a project, the time pressure forces you to focus on execution, and you have no choice but to do only the bare essentials. If I give you a week to complete the same task, it’s six days of making a mountain out of a molehill. If I give you two months, God forbid, it becomes a mental monster. The end product of the shorter deadline is almost inevitably of equal or higher quality due to greater focus.
I know most of you aren’t looking to start your own business but could use some help getting through the day at this point.
Working at home and Parkinson’s Law
Most of you are working at home these days and probably have multiple distractions. You have children also home from school, are trying to work at the dining room table and are worried about your friends that have lost their jobs. I am right there with you.
I have worked from home with no distractions except two needy cats for years. But last week that all changed. My Mom lives in a nursing home that got its first Covid 19 cases so my siblings and I decided to take her out of that situation for now. She moved in with me for the next few weeks. Luckily she is showing no signs of the virus, but she has dementia and some other health issues so all of a sudden my workday is not my own.
Our new Normal
Many of you are having to navigate this new normal as well. I went to my bookshelf, re-read this chapter of the 4 Hour Workweek and reminded myself that I can use this law to stay productive. There isn’t as much time in my day so I will focus on the top three things I need to accomplish every day.
I don’t have all day to think about making sales calls to DMO offices that might be interested in my webinar programs; I have 45 minutes while Mom is napping to get 5 emails or calls done. I know that getting her up, dressed and fed takes a while in the morning so I am getting up early and writing my blog posts before the sun comes up. One thing already off my to-do list!
Instead of feeling bad that you aren’t accomplishing as much each day, use your new situation to implement Parkinson’s Law.
Try this advice
Ferris is very good at distilling information down to actionable steps so I will let him do the work here:
- Limit tasks to the important to shorten work time (80/20)
- Shorten work time to limit tasks to the important ( Parkinson’s Law)
How can I help you this month?
Have you checked out Tourism Pro Academy? There are free resources, online courses and more. Take some time to learn something new during our National “Pause”. I am adding new courses this month so check it out! Click here to access the site for free.
Join the free 5 Day Linkedin Challenge for Tourism Pros For those of you who are out of work, this is the perfect time to update your profile and learn how to leverage this platform. For those of you working from home, this challenge will teach you how to find new clients. The challenge will be starting on April 13th. You can sign up here and join Linked in expert Louise Brogan and me!
DMO’s – Are you looking for ways to provide some value to your members during this time? I have online tourism training webinars that your partners can watch from home. I know many of you are struggling to find ways to support your partners. I am developing a series of 3 webinars called Take Action- Plan for Tomorrow that your organization can offer now. Reply to this email and we can set up a time to answer your questions about the Online Tourism Training Program.
New! Profile Sheet 911. We know that your profile sheet is your sales ambassador in the Group Tour market. Is yours doing it all it should? Is it effective in answering tour operator questions and making your business sound appealing? Get ready now for when group tours start picking back up. Get ready now for the upcoming trade show season! Sign up for the new Profile sheet 911 program. For only $69 you will get a customized review that is also recorded. Click here for more details. This will be fun!
Can I ask a favor?
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