To Boost Your Productivity, Embrace the ‘Hard Stop’
Quit letting innocent-looking tasks keep you from doing the work that matters
One reason why mountaineering can be so dangerous is because of the sunk-cost fallacy: The idea that just because you’ve invested time and effort in something, that’s reason enough to stick with it. Once you’ve traveled a long distance, it’s easy to downplay obstacles like bad weather or slow progress. In 1996, eight people died during a trek to the top of Mount Everest.
That’s why mountaineers have started using “stop rules” to ensure they get home alive. For example: “If we haven’t made it to checkpoint D by 3 p.m., we turn around, no matter what.” Establishing terms like these force them to override the emotions that arise in the heat of the moment (“I feel really good right now — let’s just keep going!”).
Personally, I won’t be climbing the world’s tallest mountain any time soon. But as a psychologist and productivity coach, I do employ stop rules, or “hard stops,” throughout my workday. Having them in place boosts my productivity and keeps me focused on my goals.
One strategy I recommend is time-blocking, the process of blocking off time on your calendar to work on your most important projects. It saves you from a common trap of administrative…
