Having an outdated website lowers your credibility immediately in the minds of most users.

I bought one of Kimpton Hotel’s products recently, which must be done on a different website than where rooms are booked. I was worried it was a fake site stealing my money and almost didn’t buy what I wanted.

The site didn’t look like it was associated with their booking site either. Users wondering if they’re in the right place is a conversion killer, too.

Spending time on design, user research, and experimentation are worth it. I’d bet money they’re not doing any of the three.

Parkinson’s Law

My first jobs were in restaurants. It has influenced me for years.

If you know about sidework and backwork and the expectation that you always need to be doing something or look busy, that’s my segue here…

I used to think that extra time always needed to be filled with more work. I used to think that you can always find more to do to increase productivity and results. I used to think that if you don’t, you’re lazy and not committed to doing your best.

False.

I’ve changed that thinking recently. I do credit it for getting me this far in some ways. However, I think it can be a trap for using resources unnecessarily, nullifying any essentialism efforts, and a straight road to burnout.

I’ve started setting my tasks for a given period of time. When I’m done with them, I’m done. If I think of other things, I’ll ponder if I actually need to do them. If so, I’ll add them to my list for a different day and prioritize accordingly.

I’m not saying this applies ALL the time as urgent things do come up, of course.

However, I have changed my north star on how I approach things though.

Parkinson’s Law has shown up in two different posts in my LinkedIn feed in the last few days. I take that as a sign that my mindset is heading in the right direction.

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