'Illich's Law' Can Help You Be More Productive

How you allocate and use your time every day is as important to productivity as the work you actually do, which is why it's important to pre-plan your schedule down to the minute. You have to be smart and strategic about when you work, what you work on, and how long you do it—otherwise, some of your time may be wasted. Illich’s Law, or the Law of Diminishing Returns, says that after working for a while, your productivity decreases—then becomes negative.

What does Illich’s Law mean?

We often think of being productive as getting a lot done, but productivity can—and should—also focus on the quality of that work, too. Some good work is, in most cases, better than a lot of shoddy work. 

Illich’s Law, conceptualized by philosopher and social critic Ivan Illich, suggests that not only does your productivity decrease after you’ve spent too much time on something, but it gets counterproductive. The work you produce after being at it too long could actually be straight-up bad—you shouldn’t have even done it in the first place. Often, you'll end up redoing it, which wastes time you could be spending on other pursuits and makes you less productive.

How to defeat Illich’s Law

To prevent a decline in your work, you need a strategy. First, use time-tracking software or a simple spreadsheet for a week or two to figure out how much time you spend on your typical tasks. Make sure to take notes on when you feel yourself becoming fatigued, bored, or less productive. As always, use timeboxing to structure your calendar, giving every task its own entry and defining timelines through the day. Stick to those timelines rigidly and stop working when your allotted time is up unless you absolutely have to keep going (which shouldn't happen often if you're planning well enough).

After you’ve collected some data, assess the time you give yourself to do things. Try reducing the time allotment for each task, so you stop before that bored or unproductive feeling kicks in. Don’t be afraid you’re giving yourself “too little” time, either: The Yerkes-Dodson Law says that your peak of productivity comes when you have just the right amount of stress. Having less time to do something will not only make you more productive under Illich’s Law, but Yerkes-Dodson and Parkinson’s Law, which says you’ll over-complicate work if you have too long to attend to it. Basically, a bunch of major theorists all agree one one thing for various reasons: Working on anything for too long just ain’t it. 

Once you’ve reduced how much time you’re giving yourself to do things, return to your calendar, which has your timeboxes in it. Change the timing parameters for each entry to your new allotments. This will leave you with small breaks visible in the calendar throughout the day. Schedule breaks in there. The second thing Illich’s law emphasizes is that people need breaks in addition to a reduction in work on specific tasks. Don’t just give yourself less time for each task and move from one to another faster; take breaks in between. 

This should end up mirroring the Pomodoro technique, or at least approximating it. With Pomodoro, you work for 25 minutes, take a five-minute break, get back to it for 25 more, and keep cycling that way until you've done it four times and earn a larger break. That timing doesn't work for everyone, so feel free to modify the work blocks and break blocks, but keep in mind that your work needs to be followed by at least a little downtime.

In general, your productivity needs more breaks, so give yourself a scheduled time to go grab a coffee, scroll social media, or make a personal call. 

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