Limiting Yourself to Get Things Done

Earlier this year my colleague Ray Villalobos and I had an idea for a small experimental project. The challenge, as always, was to find time to build a prototype for the project. To get around this hurdle I introduced Ray to my a very effective method for getting things done quickly.

Tight limits

The method is as simple as it can get, and boils down to one thing and one thing only:

Set a very tight time limit, and stick to it.

That's it. That's all. So for this project, which was to create a short video explaining a complex issue using only audio and graphics, I imposed a 48 hour limit on all work. Within those 48 hours we each had to come up with an idea, write a script, create supporting graphics, record, edit, produce, and release the video.

From the way Ray talked about this experience at a meeting yesterday I think my method may have been a tiny bit stressful and anxiety-inducing for him. But: It worked very well. Here's what he produced:

Why this works

When I introduce my colleagues or students to this method, the immediate reaction is always the same: Why so little time? And why be so strict about it?

I'm sure there's science to support this, but I haven't bothered looking. Here's my reasoning, and why it works for me:

Any time you start on a new task, there are multiple things standing in the way of you completing that task including but not limited to:

• Setting a scope for the project
• Finding time to do the work
• Actually starting the work
• Distractions during the work
• Fighting scope creep
• Perfectionism
• Adding more time to the project

Setting a tight time limit on a project, and sticking to that time limit, resolves most of these issues.

• The scope has to be limited to fit in the allotted time.
• You block out a short period of time to do the work.
• You know when to start, and when to end, the work.
• You have justification for blocking out distractions during the work.
• Scope creep becomes a non-issue because you don't have time to add to the scope.
• You don't have the ability to add more time because you've already limited the time.

In my experience, the result of this approach is people discover they are able to do excellent work in very little time once they force themselves to fight all the distractions in the list above.

I've also discovered this method can be extremely stressful for some people, to the point they become unable to do any work, or have a strong counterproductive emotional reaction.

In other words, while this works for me, and apparently for my colleague Ray, it does not work for everyone. People are different, and what works for one person does not work for another person.

Try it for yourself

If all this sounds interesting to you, here's my recommendation: To try this yourself, pick a task you have been putting off and set an unreasonable time limit on it. It could be anything: Vacuuming, fixing a broken appliance, cleaning out your inbox, paying your bills, writing a piece of code, you name it.

As an example, I set myself a time limit for writing this article. Here's how I did it:

1. Figure out how much time I can reasonably dedicate to writing the article based on everything else I have going on today: 15 minutes.
2. Find a time during the day when I have 15 minutes.
3. Create a scope for the article so I can get it done in 15 minutes.
4. At the assigned time, sit down and write the article.
5. When 10 minutes are up (right now in fact), start wrapping up.
6. Hit "publish" before the 15 minutes are up.

What's the result? An article that I could have spent hours on, and that could have been more eloquently written, but that still communicates what I wanted to communicate. Which is often more than enough.

When not to limit yourself

One caveat before I wrap up: I use this method any time I'm doing something non-critical. By that I mean tasks that I can get away with not doing perfectly. Like writing an article for my newsletter, or making a prototype for an experimental project, or writing a first draft for a new LinkedIn Learning course.

I don't use this method when I'm doing important work, like recording a course, or writing an important email to my boss about why these experimental videos my colleague and I made should be turned into a bona fide course series.

It all depends.

What is it they say? Your mileage may vary? Something like that.

Anyways, my 15 minutes are almost up! And I'm sticking to my limit. So: try limiting yourself to get things done, and lykke til!

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Header photo by Photo by?Debby Hudson on Unsplash:

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Morten Rand-Hendriksen is a Senior Staff Instructor at?LinkedIn Learning?(formerly Lynda.com) focusing on?front-end web development and the next generation of the web platform. He is passionate about diversity, inclusion, and belonging and works every day to build bridges between people to foster solidarity. Design is political. Code is political. Hope is a catalyst.