Are Constraints Good for Productivity?

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Constraints are commonly seen as something bad that stops people achieving their goals.

For example, imagine you want to write a novel, and never get around to it. You’re likely to convince yourself that you would write it if you had more time, more money, or if certain obstacles in your life were removed.

But is this true? Instead, we should ask, are constraints good for productivity?

The short answer is yes. Constraints are good for productivity because they can free up your creativity, give you a framework and basis on which to build, help you focus on problems, and make you more productive.

The famous composer, Igor Stravinsky, believed the more constraints you place upon yourself, the more you free yourself. He argued that constraints only forced you to be precise. They can also help you get started because a lack of constraints can paralyse you and lead to procrastination because we’re presented with too many choices. Read more about why we procrastinate.

Limitations are, in fact, useful because they provide structure that allows you to direct your energy, effort, and creativity into whatever you’re trying to achieve.

In the rest of this article, we’ll cover 9 examples of how constraints can make you more productive and creative. Later, we’ll investigate how budgetary constraints can foster creativity and bring great rewards. For now, though, let’s find out how constraints and limits can bring problems into sharper focus.

Constraints Focus Problems

Constraints help shape problems and provide us with a clear idea of the challenges and obstacles we need to overcome.

Let’s imagine that we want to find out if an idea for a new product has merit. You could create constraints to help you do that.

You could:

• Impose a time limit in which you must create a prototype of that product.
• Limit the size of the team you have working on it.

This is a fantastic way to quickly determine if your product idea is a good, viable one or not. When the prototype is completed, if it looks like a good idea, you can move forward. If not, you can discard the idea and move on to another project, knowing you haven’t lost much by making a prototype. You won’t be so invested in an idea, both financially and emotionally, that the notion of discarding it is painful.

Thus, you could argue that by placing constraints on yourself, you’re able to move through ideas faster, and make more effective, productive use of your time, energy, and available resources.

Word Limits Can Unlock Creativity

An example from recent history perfectly illustrates the truth of this one.

When he wrote the now-classic Green Eggs and Ham, American author, Dr. Seuss challenged himself to write the book using just 50 unique words. He was thereby forced to be extra creative.

Why did he limit himself in this way? He had a wager with the co-founder of Random House, Bennett Cerf.

It’s safe to say the bet and constraint paid off. Green Eggs and Ham remains Dr. Suess’s bestselling book.

It’s time to discover how budgetary constraints can work in your favour.

Budget Constraints Foster Creativity and Make Us More Productive

Ernie Schenck, in his book The Houdini Solution, argues that life is full of boundaries and limits. We find them in our jobs, bank accounts, relationships, and many other areas of our lives. One of the most common constraints we face is concerned with money and being on a budget.

Arguably, one of the fields in which budgetary constraints are most in evidence is the film industry.

Schenck uses the example of The Blair Witch Project to show how budgetary constraints can often be liberating. That film was made on a budget of only $50,000. That’s what forced them to make the whole film in the style of a black-and-white found footage documentary created by students.

This is a major part of what gave the completed film its creepy, eerie vibe that ended up captivating and horrifying audiences. The creators of The Blair Witch Project allowed the constraints they were under to shape their film into something it never would have been if not for the small budget they had to work with.

It went on to make over $240 million in gross profit. Working within pre-set limits sure didn’t do this film any harm.

Time Limits Encourage You to be More Productive

Placing yourself under time constraints can be super useful.

Time pressure can:

• Help you start something.
• Force you to dedicate a block of time to a particular task.
• Teach you good habits and discipline.
• Prevent analysis paralysis and overthinking.

In this way, you can use time limits to skyrocket your productivity.

Sometimes Constraints are Necessary if You Want to Produce Anything

The architect Frank Gehry, known for his creative postmodern designs, once said that one of the hardest challenges he was given was when he was asked to design a house with no constraints. He didn’t know where to start, or what the project was all about.

Gehry said that it is better to be presented with a specific problem to solve and to have strict standards to adhere to as these are the very things that give an architect something to work off of and build upon.

Constraints, then, often give you a base on which you can build that allows you to be both productive and creative.

You Can Use Time Constraints to Limit the Scope of Projects and Get More Done

Let’s go back to the earlier example of writing a novel. If you decide you don’t have time to write a full-length novel, why not try adding another limitation to get yourself off the starting line?

You can do this by limiting the scope of your ambition. Instead of aiming to write a novel, aim to write a 150-300 word flash fiction story every day. That way, you will be able to produce many micro-stories and publish them as a collection, fulfilling your ambition to become an author in an unconventional, but nonetheless meaningful way.  All you need to do is face the constraints your life places upon you and twist them so that they work in your favour.

Soon, we’ll find out about the 10 20 30 rule for presentations. Next, though, let’s cover how limiting space can unleash creativity.

Try to Limit Space to Make Yourself More Creative

This can be surprisingly effective. Imagine you’re trying to come up with some strategies to grow your business.  Try and distil the essence of each idea you have into something that will fit on a small flashcard. This can be tricky, but if you succeed, you have a fabulous way to share your ideas with others, because they are quick and easy to understand, all thanks to the power of constraints.  

Creating Your Own Deadlines Can Force You to be More Productive and Creative

Give yourself strict deadlines for tasks. They force you to stop procrastinating and get more creative. You have little time to second-guess yourself, so end up getting more done.

Following the 10 20 30 Rule Can Make Limitations Work for You

This is a great principle to follow when you need to create a PowerPoint presentation. According to Guy Kawasaki, an effective presentation should:

• Have a maximum of 10 slides.
• Last no longer than 10 minutes.
• Have a font size no smaller than 30.
• Find a way to communicate the most salient points in an effective way.
• Keep your audience engaged.

If you follow the limits imposed by this rule, you will make it more likely that people will respond to your calls to action.

Wrapping Up

So, we’ve explored the question of whether constraints are good for productivity and provided some hopefully useful examples to illustrate our points. From now on, instead of convincing yourself that constraints stop you from achieving all you wish, why not do your best to make those same constraints work to your benefit?

Enjoyed this post? You might like our post on analysis paralysis, too.