Minute With Mallon: Shrink the Time, Double the Focus!

Jul 22

Welcome to Minute with Mallon!

Something I Taught:

A few years ago, my son Brock was living in Asheville, NC, and was getting ready to move back to Georgia. One Thursday night, he called me: “Dad, my car broke down. Transmission’s shot. Can you come get me tomorrow?”

Of course, I said yes. We agreed I’d pick him up at 3:00 p.m., which meant I had to leave Atlanta by 12:30. The problem? I had a full day’s worth of work to finish first.

So the next morning, I skipped my usual routine—no slow start with coffee—and got straight to it.

And wouldn’t you know it? I finished everything by 11:50.

That’s Parkinson’s Law in action:

“Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”

When we give ourselves all day to do something, it takes all day. But when we shrink the window, we get focused, fast, and far more efficient.

Here’s the takeaway:

● Estimate how long a task should take.

● Cut that time in half (or two-thirds).

● Set a timer.

● Go heads-down until it’s done.

Try it this week on a project you’ve been putting off or something that usually drags out. You might surprise yourself.

Something to Ponder:

“Clarity about what matters provides clarity about what does not.”

— Greg McKeown, Essentialism

Something I Learned:

Along the same lines, in the book Deep Work, Cal Newport shares how high-performing professionals accomplish more in 4 focused hours than most people do in 10 distracted ones. He calls it “cognitive intensity.”

Time doesn’t equal output—focus does!

Want to gain back time in your week? Limit how much you give a task… and watch how productive you become.