Application of Parkinson’s Law
Today, I had a list of things to do and I was a bit afraid that I could not finish it… but guess what? I ticked everything off my to-do list! It was just a joy.
What did I do? I told myself, “I don’t have much time and I want to complete everything today! I set a deadline!“.
I was reminded of this powerful concept called Parkinson’s Law, shared by Melvin Soh.
[Definition] Parkinson’s law is the adage that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion”.
Another quote from an article by Meredith Lepore:
Parkinson’s Law says that we fill the space we are given. If you set a goal with an end date of 10 years from now, you will likely spend 10 years getting there. However, if you make the goal 6 months away, I find that I can meet that goal too. This is genius time hacking and is rarely utilized. Set your goal, cut it in half, let everyone know you can do it!
What does it mean?
If you give yourself 10 hours to complete a task, it will take 10 hours to complete it.
If you give yourself 1 hour to complete the SAME task, it will take 1 hour to complete it.
Not convinced?
1. Back in school, we had the entire week to study for examinations. Most of us would play for the first few days. However, when there are 4 days left to study the syllabus, you’ll get it done just before we enter the examination hall.
2. When you have a long deadline to complete a task, you’ll get done it very…. SLOWLY. You drag. When you have a short deadline, you’ll get it done in the snap of the finger.
It has to be realistic goals with practical time frame to yield the best productivity. Nothing more and nothing less, but push a bit harder every time.
How can we use Parkinson’s law to our advantage?
Give yourself a deadline and stick to it! Don’t drag deadlines – shorten your deadlines and be accountable to it!