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Parkinson’s law.

It’s an easily forgotten, but just-as-easily leveraged law. It’s the adage that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.

Even when we know the P-Law, we often ask for more time, we push deadlines back and we give ourselves as much cushion as possible because the more cushion we have the better our lizard brain feels because it doesn’t need to react or worry or work on the edge yet.

The reality is that the law works to our DISadvantage when we let our fears dictate timing.

Better to consistently give ourselves less time because eventually that becomes the new norm for our lizard brains. We freak out less when there’s a two-day turnaround. We worry less when the deadline is around the corner. In other words, we adapt.

 

Stay Positive & Don’t Let Your Lizard Brain Tell You Otherwise

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We subject ourselves to a lot of negative self-talk.

Especially when we make a mistake or are asked to step in shoes bigger than the pair we have.

Even more so when we let someone else down, ruin something for the long-term or a break a heart.

A quick way to self-kindness is to talk to yourself the way you’d talk to a friend who made the same mistake.

Certainly you wouldn’t say the things you’re saying to yourself to a friend.

 

Stay Positive & On Your Toes

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A quick cop-out to opening a new door for yourself is that no one will notice you walking through.

That extra load you took on? No boss isn’t watching.

The fresh ideas you shared? No client listened.

The project you took on? No one asked you to.

Again, those are cop outs for not acting as if you’re in the position you wish to be promoted to or acting as if you’re the artist you grew up admiring or acting as if you have a bigger heart than anyone can imagine you having.

The person you want watching might not be, but that doesn’t mean no one’s watching.

And it certainly doesn’t mean you shouldn’t act as if you’re the bigger version of yourself you want to be.

 

Stay Positive & Carry On, We Need You To

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If you made a size 16 shoe, you could promote it to 99% of those on the planet.

After all, their foot does in fact fit in the shoe.

No doubt there are some serious consequences and turn offs to that.

Same with any business that tries to create an umbrella product for too many people.

Bernadette Jiwa relates it to a pie: At some point you eat too much and get sick.

Better to find what size is right, not what size fits all; better to make an impact with some than annoy a lot; better to build a tribe than a mass of minions.

Things need to scale, yes, but only to the right size.

And the best part is you get to choose that size.

 

Stay Positive & Scale With Intention

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Creating something that is easily sharable is simplified action.

It’s less work you have to do to get it in front of more people.

Not less work over all – Turns out it’s just as much work to create something that’s remarkable than it is to push something that isn’t shareworthy in front of the same number of people.

Might as well make it easier on yourself in the long run by making your work more shareable.

 

Stay Positive & Achoo

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It’s tough to be completely prepared for anything.

The only guarantee of a plan is that it won’t go as planned.

And being totally mentally prepared for something? Fat chance.

But that doesn’t mean it’s not worth doing.

Mentally preparing yourself for a conversation or a day’s list of tasks does a lot to keep the lizard brain away. It applies pre-focus, which prevents distractions from entering your line of sight.

With enough mental preparation, you understand the objective and that nothing is going to get in the way of you completing it.

In a sense, it becomes a game (even though it’s been a game from the beginning, but now you feel like you’re winning).

 

Stay Positive & Think About It (Then Think About It Some More)

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If you’re not in it to be the best, then what the hell are you doing?

That phrase has been stuck in my mind for sometime. It pushes me to always find ways to improve, to make the work better and to give more.

When it comes to breaking the phrase down a bit, there’s the obvious layer of watching your competition, staying ahead of the curve and trying new things.

Then there’s the other layer of reality that it’s the journey and not the destination; it’s about the chapters in the book and not the end; it’s about the gladiator games and not the crowned victor.

Working to be the best is work. Are you up for it?

 

Stay Positive & Yesterday Was A Great Time To Start, Now Is, Too

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