Estimated reading time: 3 minutes, 25 seconds.
TODAY’S IDEA: The Law of Forced Efficiency
— From The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success by Brian Tracy.
The one equalizer for all of us is time: we all have 24 hours in a day, no matter what. And what we decide to do with that chunk of time on a daily basis is our decision. In The 100 Absolutely Unbreakable Laws of Business Success, business guru Brian Tracy says, “there is never enough time to do everything, but there is always enough time to do the most important things.” Thus, the Law of Forced Efficiency:
“The more things you have to do in a limited period of time, the more you will be forced to work on your most important tasks.”
Tracy goes on to explain, “The more you take on, the more likely it is that you will be forced to act with maximum efficiency. You will have to think, analyze, and evaluate your tasks and activities more carefully. You will be forced to spend your limited mental and physical energy on just those tasks that are the most vital to your success.”
There are three corollaries to this law according to Tracy:
1. There will never be enough time to do everything that you have to do. “The busier and more successful you become, the more valid this corollary will be for you.” The popular saying “if you want something done, ask a busy person” is true: busy people only take on just those things that they know they can finish within the time they have.
2. Only by stretching yourself can you discover how much you are truly capable of. “You can discover how much you can do only by trying to do too much. You can find out how far you can go only by going too far. You learn your true capacity only by stretching yourself to your limits. For you to be truly happy, you must know that you are working at the outer edge of your potential. You need to feel fully challenged by your work. You need to do what you love, love what you do, and put your whole heart into your work.”
3. You perform at your highest potential only when you are focusing on the most valuable use of your time. “This is the key to personal and business success. It is the central issue in personal efficiency and time management. You must always be asking yourself, What is the most valuable use of my time right now?”
Tracy suggests creating the habit and discipline to work exclusively on the ONE task that is the answer to this question, at any given time. Keep yourself focused and determine what is the most valuable use of your time again, and again, and again throughout the day, every day.
For diving deeper into the very best use of your time and skills, ask these three questions.
ACTION
Note: both actions come directly from Tracy’s book.
TODAY: “Remember that you can only do one thing at a time. Stop and think before you begin. Be sure that the task you do is the highest value use of your time. Remind yourself that anything else you do while your most important task remains undone is a relative waste of time.”
FUTURE: “Be clear about the most valuable work that you do for your organization. Whatever it is, resolve to concentrate on doing that specific task before anything else.” Develop the habit of asking yourself over and over, What is the most valuable use of my time right now? If need be, you can set a periodic reminder on your calendar to pop up and remind you of asking that question several times throughout the day. Other questions you can ask, according to Tracy, are, “Why are you on the payroll? What specific, tangible, measurable results are expected of you? And of all the different results you are capable of achieving, which are the most important to your career at this moment?” Your answers will determine where to focus your energy.