Gaining Freedom Through Limits

January 12th, 2009

Timeboxing

Most people have a negative connotation with the word “limit.” A quick scan of the thesaurus turns up vocabulary such as “restriction,” “boundary,” “confinement” and “hinder.“ No wonder.

Here at Digital Onion, we view limits as a good thing. In our language, a synonym for “limit” is freedom. Sound too good to be true? Keep reading.

Take the concept of time for example. We’ve all felt the truth of Parkinson’s law at one point or another:

“Work expands to fill the time available.”

At Digital Onion we use a concept called “Timeboxing” to keep us from spending too much time on any one thing, and to encourage decisive thinking. It’s a simple concept, put into action by setting a time limit around a task or a decision and sticking to it, no matter what.

We can create trainings sessions in 4 hours. Plan an entire month of work in 8 hours. And reflect and improve our processes in just 1 hour.

We can do this because we say we are going to do it, and we stick to that.

This can take some getting used to. Spending lots of time on something is comfortable, easy, safe. But, this thinking is born out of the fear of making a decision. Once that fear is overcome, you will see your effectiveness and use of time improve tremendously.

This is not a singular phenomenon. As we send you off to try Timeboxing on your own, take this quote from Jack Welch with you:

“I learned in a hundred ways that I rarely regretted acting but often regretted NOT acting fast enough. I could scarcely remember a time when I said, ‘I wish I’d taken six more months to study something before making decision.’ “

If he can be fast and decisive in running the world’s third largest company, just think what you can do as you apply these same principles to your life.

Entry Filed under: PM Leadership