Sometimes having enough time to do a project is not a blessing but a curse. When you have a short deadline it focuses your mind to get to the point immediately. This allows you to realize your idea without any distractions that additional time would allow you to ponder.
I just came back from a client site and we were talking about time line. How long should it take to do a particular project? It made me think about one of my friends, Graham.
A few years ago, he went to Singapore to analyze a few companies over there. When he came back he was supposed to write a financial report on which companies people should invest in.
Typically, the time he needs to do that is about 10 days to write that report. It’s about 80 pages in length.
And, he had screwed up the date. So, when he got back, he didn’t have 10 days left to write the report. He only had 1 day left.
So it was all-nighter. He finishes his report and sends it in to the company
That was the only report in a year and a half where the CEO actually wrote him a note saying, “Hey! This is the best work you’ve ever done!”
So the question is, “What happens when you shorten the timeline?”
I think what happens is that you are forced to look at the essence of the problem and what really needs to be done. And by focusing in on that, you simplify your message and you simplify what you want other people to do.
If you’re looking to do much better work, take the normal time it will take and half it. Take a look at the results that you get.
Hope you enjoy this and reach out to me let me know how this process works.
Talk to you later. Bye now!
