“All of us have the same 24 hours in a day. It’s not how hard you work that makes the difference—it’s how you use those 24 hours." – Eric Thomas
For the PhoenixFire team, Eric Thomas’ message is our driving force – we want to help change the world, faster and live big, bold lives at the same time. Especially now, when the holiday season coincides with the most important fundraising days of the year, we know how difficult it can be to navigate competing priorities.
Often, mission-driven leaders feel like they’re juggling endless tasks. We’ve been there, too. Without an effective strategy to make the most of those 24 hours, even the most passionate leaders find themselves burning out.
At PhoenixFire, we don’t just talk about efficiency—we practice it every day. From managing clients worldwide to building a business with a decentralized team scattered across 3 continents, we apply these strategies to our own work.
In Part 1, we discussed the basics of time-saving strategies. Today, we’ll go deeper with Parkinson’s Law, SMART Goals, Delegation, and Batch Processing—four approaches that have transformed the way we work and can do the same for you.
Parkinson’s Law
"Work expands to fill the time available for its completion." – Cyril Northcote Parkinson
Why you need to know it: Tasks that should take an hour can consume an entire day if you let them. This tendency can prevent nonprofits and small businesses from efficiently meeting deadlines and prioritizing critical work.
What it is: Parkinson’s Law teaches that setting shorter deadlines for tasks forces efficiency. If you assign only one hour to a task, you’re more likely to work quickly and effectively, focusing on essentials.
What the result is: More tasks completed in less time, freeing you to focus on mission-critical initiatives.
How we use it: At PhoenixFire, we apply Parkinson’s Law to our proposal writing process. By setting strict deadlines, we can complete high-quality drafts in a matter of days instead of weeks, allowing us to respond quickly to client needs and prioritize new projects.
Research-backed: Studies by Stanford University show that employees who set shorter, self-imposed deadlines complete tasks up to 25% faster than those with longer, flexible deadlines. By setting shorter deadlines, your team can reduce procrastination and make the most of their time.
SMART Goals
"A goal without a plan is just a wish." – Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Why you need to know it: Broad, undefined goals can drain focus and create confusion, leading to inconsistent progress. Not only does this often make it difficult for your team to perform at its highest level but it also burns your own time as you answer questions, repeatedly follow-up, or need to fix or re-do work that wasn’t done correctly.
What it is: SMART goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, providing a clear path forward. They help teams stay focused on what truly matters.
What the result is: Clear, actionable goals that align with your mission, making progress easier to track and measure.
How to implement: For instance, rather than setting a vague goal like “improve donor engagement,” try a SMART goal: “Increase donor engagement by 15% within six months by launching a monthly email newsletter and adding three targeted social media campaigns.”
Why it works: Research from Harvard Business Review found that well-defined goals improve performance and boost accountability. When objectives are SMART, it’s easier to keep teams aligned and motivated and everyone is working as effectively as possible. The less time you need to spend correcting or redoing tasks, the better, and SMART goals help you do this.
Delegate Wisely
"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." – African Proverb
Why you need to know it: Leaders who attempt to handle every task themselves face burnout. Effective delegation allows you to focus on tasks only you can do while empowering your team.
What it is: Delegation isn’t just about handing off tasks. It involves assigning work that aligns with your team’s strengths, building trust, and enhancing productivity.
What the result is: Leaders gain back time for strategic decision-making, and team members feel valued, increasing motivation and ownership.
How we use it: At PhoenixFire, we delegate tasks based on team members' strengths and expertise. For example, instead of handling every aspect of social media, we delegate content creation to our skilled copywriters, allowing leadership to focus on strategic oversight.
Research-supported: Gallup reports that effective delegation can increase productivity by up to 40%. When team members feel trusted with meaningful tasks, their engagement—and, consequently, their output—improves significantly.
Batch Processing
“If you service low-impact activities, therefore, you're taking away time you could be spending on higher-impact activities. It's a zero-sum game.” - Cal Newport, author of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
Why you need to know it: Batching tasks is a simple way to harness focus and eliminate the inefficiencies of multitasking. Task-switching wastes up to an astonishing 40% of productive time, according to the American Psychological Association! Batch processing reduces the “cognitive load” of shifting between different tasks; the time it takes you to lose and then refocus on tasks.
What it is: Batch processing involves grouping similar tasks, such as answering emails, thanking donors, or running payroll or paying invoices, and tackling them in dedicated sessions without interruption or multi-tasking.
What the result is: Better focus, less mental fatigue, and reduced time spent on each task.
How to implement: For instance, dedicate specific times during the day to check and respond to emails, rather than interrupting your workflow whenever an email arrives. At PhoenixFire, we use batch processing for client communications, setting aside blocks of time for emails, project updates, and report reviews - and rightnow writing this blog and supporting social media posts.
Why it works: Studies from Clockify show that batch processing can improve productivity by 20-30% and reduce task-switching fatigue. This allows you to stay focused and complete work faster.
Putting It All Together
These four strategies—Parkinson’s Law, SMART Goals, Delegating Wisely, and Batch Processing—aren’t just theoretical.
By combining strategies, it’s possible to increase productivity and job satisfaction considerably. For example, an Executive Director might batch her tasks and simultaneously use Parkinson’s Law to make each task time-bound. With just 30 minutes to respond to emails two times a day, that ED would ensure they aren’t rereading or ruminating on specific responses. Furthermore, she might delegate some of those email responses to others on her team, building their efficacy and saving herself time.
We apply them every day, allowing us to support clients worldwide while operating with the efficiency of a larger, much more expensive firm. These methods enable us to make meaningful impacts for nonprofits and small businesses, helping maximize time and resources without sacrificing quality or burning out.And it will work for you too!
Looking Forward to Part 3
In the final post of this series, we’ll cover the Pareto Principle, Blocking Distractions, Automations and Templates, and one of our most requested topics, Leveraging AI to streamline your workflow and enhance productivity.
At PhoenixFire, we help mission-driven organizations implement practical strategies for success. Ready to transform your time management? Contact us today to start maximizing your 24 hours.
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