PPI #79: How to Complete Your Work 5x Faster

Today I'm going to teach you three hacks that you can use to complete your work up to five times faster. 

Instead of working five hours on something, what if you could be getting it done in just one hour? 

If you don't learn these techniques, if you don't learn these hacks, you won’t become all that you’re capable of becoming.

The number one technique to increase the rate at which you work is based on the Pareto principle. The Pareto principle simply states that 20% of the causes typically lead to 80% of the effects, or said in another way, 20% of the effort leads to 80% of the results. Where are the leverage points in your work? What really matters? Focus on the 20% that generates 80% of the result and you’ll save tons of time.

The second technique is to focus on Parkinson's law, which simply states that work will expand to fill the time given for its completion. So we can use this to our advantage by proactively restricting the amount of time we give ourselves to complete tasks.

The final technique is what I call ‘The 96% Solution’. If work remains after applying 80/20 focus and restricting the time available, in light of Parkinson’s Law, then delegate the remaining work to someone else. Ask them to “80/20” the 20% that remains (assuming you completed the initial 80%). Completing 80% of the 20% that remains, mathematically speaking, comes to 16% + your initial 80% = 96% done. And that’s more than enough - considering your initial 80% is often enough!

These three things, in combination, have enabled me to complete my work up to 5x faster.