What is Parkinson’s Law? According to Wikipedia, it is generalized as
“The demand upon a resource tends to expand to match the supply of the resource.”
That still may not be clear for you. Basically, if you give yourself 8 hours to complete something for the day, it will take 8 hours. However, if you give yourself less time, you will complete it in less time as well. Creating strict, tight, deadlines for yourself creates an urgency to finish tasks and projects.
One way of applying this law is to get a timer and set up chunks of time to finish projects. In fact, before I started to write this blog post, I have given myself 20 minutes to complete it.
In order for this to work, you need to hold yourself accountable for it. If you miss a deadline, acknowledge that you missed it and also acknowledge the impact it creates for you, your work, and all that you influence. Don’t beat yourself up for it, that adds nothing but stress for yourself. Just create a new deadline for yourself and make sure you hold the same accountability, if not more, for it. If you fail to do so, you will create a downward spiral for yourself with a trend of missed deadlines that don’t seem to matter for you.
Do you apply Parkinson’s Law in your life? If so, what are some ways you apply this law?
(For those curious, I finished this post in 18 minutes.)
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
The Pomodoro Technique is a similar methodology which in a way uses Parkinson\’s Law to help productivity. I do myself, really like the concept and principle of Parkinson\’s Law – such a succinct self contained proverb.
Discipline is best enforced naturally by the circumstances you or others provide to you, and getting tight with time is great if you can handle it, and have the desire to work with whatever means necessary to get your stuff done. For some it\’s just a passing thought of being efficient, while others will pursue it with great enthusiasm. which is more than half the effort.
Hey I like the post a lot! Very helpful
I like that and Pareto’s law i.e. the 80/20 principle… that helps me get the big things done and not obsess over the irrelevant stuff too much!
Cheers!