Parkinson’s Law is the idea that work expands to fill the time allotted to it.

Said another way, the more time we allow ourselves to do something, the more time we’ll waste before completing it.

My absolute Achilles heel is a series of appointments in a given day, with ‘downtime’ in between to complete various tasks, but no gameplan to knock those tasks out within each next block of time between appointments.

I usually feel a mixture of procrastination and complacency for those tasks that fall ‘in between’, and end up telling myself that same feel good lie we all tell ourselves….”I’ll get around to it.”

Because I know self-awareness is more powerful than discipline, I use what I know about myself and plan accordingly.

Downtime isn’t left open or to chance, I assign myself tasks accordingly to make sure each has a deadline.

—

As our big picture goals go, when we don’t assign timeframes to completing these goals, they almost never ever happen.

If you want to decrease your resting heart rate by 10 bpm, give that goal a deadline.

If you want to decrease your bodyfat by 5%, give that goal a deadline.

If you want to be in the routine of exercising 4 days per week, give that goal a deadline.

If you want to finish that course you started, give that goal a deadline.

If you want to call that friend or family member that you’ve been meaning to check in on, give that goal a deadline.

If you want to go back and complete another degree, give that goal a deadline.

—

The best way to never do that thing you keep saying you want to do, is to leave the timeline for completion wide open. Don’t set a date, and watch how little you work toward it.

The best way to do that thing you keep saying you want to do, is to attach a deadline to it, likely shorter than you believe you’ll need.

Just as we’re fantastic at putting things off and dragging our feet when working without deadlines, we’re also very good at meeting or beating deadlines once we’ve got momentum up and running.