Urgency is a powerful psychological tool

Professional marketers use it every day to get consumers to buy more of their products.

You see it with “today-only” deals and expiring coupons.

Give people a limited time offer and they’re forced to make a choice. More often than not, they choose to buy.

Project managers also use urgency to get results.

Every task needs a deadline. You either get it done on time or be held accountable to your manager to explain why you’re late.

Sometimes that manager is ourselves.

If that’s the case, have you given yourself a due date?

Parkinson’s law says that a task will expand to fill the time allotted.

This means that if you’re struggling to get stuff done, the last thing you probably need is more time.

Instead, you need to create a sense of urgency.

You need to give yourself a deadline.