Work Expands to Fit the Time Allotted

Now there's an interesting theory. Have you ever noticed that a job you're trying to do fits pretty neatly into whatever time you have available? If you have 2 hours available to do a job, I bet you that it will take you roughly 2 hours to finish it, maybe just a few minutes more or less. But you probably also remember that the same job only taking an hour the last time you did it (probably because that time you only had one hour spare).

We all know that there are only 60 minutes in every hour. But somehow time stretches and expands or shrinks depending on how we use it. And if we use it wisely we can fit a lot more in those 60 minutes per hour.

Plan ahead. You know from experience how long a job takes. That is how long you plan for it. If you have some spare time available plan another job into it or a bit of downtime as a reward. But don't use up time just because it's there. Use it wisely.

Also, now and again, challenge yourself. Try to finish a job that normally takes an hour in 55 or 50 minutes. Set a timer and see if you can create some time pockets for yourself that you can use otherwise, for another useful activity or just to relax.