What is Parkinson’s Law?
Have you ever delayed a task until the last minute, even if you knew it would not take more than a few hours to complete? At best, this is called procrastination, but it is also known as Parkinson’s law. You use it when you have extra time. You use the time to slow down or postpone a particular task and do it just before the deadline. Unfortunately, deadlines do not always increase our productivity, but comprehending Parkinson’s law and finding ways to overcome it can increase that productivity. This article from Ded9 will explain how Parkinson’s law works and teach you tips to get things done in less time.
What is Parkinson’s Law?
Parkinson’s law states that each task takes as long as the time assigned. This rule can be used when managing deadlines or personal projects.
For example, you are given two weeks to complete a project. Likely because you know you have enough time, you are satisfied, and you do things slowly. Deadlines, or extended deadlines, cause you to spend too much time completing, postponing, or having difficulty completing a given task. In other words, it takes time to complete the time you have been given to do it.
Who introduced Parkinson’s Law?
Cyril Northcott Parkinson was a British naval historian who first introduced Parkinson’s law in a satirical article for The Economist in 1955. Then he wrote a book called Parkinson’s Law: Pursuing progress. Her story in this article is about a woman whose only duty is to send a postcard during the day.
Since he has all day to complete the task, he spends an hour finding the card, half an hour finding the glasses, 90 minutes writing the card, and so on until he is full. His story explains how the job takes to fill the allocated time.
But really, why does it take so long to fill the available time?
Studies show that when there is a particular task to be done, we think about how much time we have instead of how much time it takes to complete that task or task. This mindset leads to a waste of time and inefficient workflow. We feel we have to use all they give us to do a particular homework, even if it does not take much time.
Examples of Parkinson’s law
Parkinson’s law applies to almost everything. No one is immune to Parkinson’s law unless they recognize it and find ways to overcome it personally. You can find examples of Parkinson’s law in marketing or design teams. The active existence of this law can also be seen on a larger scale in corporate institutions.
Although there are ways to overcome Parkinson’s Law, the specific work you do will guide you in how you fight Parkinson’s Law. To better understand the topic, look at the three examples provided in this section and solutions for those specific situations.
1- Marketing field
Suppose you are a marketing manager working on a new customer. You have one month to gather all the material you need to submit. It gives you a lot of time to prepare, but you delay it because you have a few other vital tasks in your schedule.
After that, your deadline expires, and you try to complete the work at the last minute. In another different example, you have no other work on your schedule, so you spend the whole month on a specific job. Although the work seems to be completed after the first two weeks, you have extra time and therefore work on the details until the deadline. Your work is now as long as it takes to fill the assigned time.
Potential Solution: Marketing team members can work together to determine how long a project takes, rather than setting an arbitrary deadline. Focusing on the amount of time required for a project instead of the due date can improve productivity and control inefficiencies.
2- Design a photo collection (LookBook).
If you are a designer, this is an example for you. Imagine you have a set of photos that you have to complete in two weeks. As a creative person, you are proud of your work, and your goal is to complete each project in the best way.
You may never feel like your projects are entirely over because you can always find something to improve or improve. Deadlines are good for you because they help you keep going, but you always let your work last until the last minute.
Potential solution: If you involve the customer in the early design stages, you can avoid wasting unnecessary time on your plan. Adding measures for announcing the presence of a customer (check-in) or manager can give you feedback to keep track of your progress and know when to stop.
3- 40 hours of work per week
Most companies operate under the model 40 hours a week. This model assumes that most jobs require the same amount of time to complete tasks each week. Is it reasonable to think that marketing and medical work need eight hours a day? Are these jobs equally tricky?
The shortest answer is no. Parkinson’s law is active around us. Some people work 40 hours a week, while others use time management to their advantage to complete tasks in less time.
Potential solution: Consider using the Pareto principle, which states that approximately 80% of consequences are due to 20% of causes. Focusing on practical work versus time spent on work can improve productivity.
How to overcome Parkinson’s law?
You can use distinctive strategies to overcome Parkinson’s law and make better use of your time. When you do not allow work to last long enough to fill your time, you can finish your work faster and use the rest of your time to rest or go to other work.
5 Ways to Overcome Parkinson’s Law
1- Plan your work strategically.
When you plan your work strategically in advance, you are less likely to procrastinate and more likely to work efficiently. Setting up a schedule can help you manage time, evaluate the duration of tasks, and schedule them. In your program, you must specify the following:
- Your smart goals
- Your to-do list and actions
- Schedule to complete
- Resources you need
- Specific dates when you check the progress
You can also create a broader strategic plan for your short-term and long-term goals in your company. It can motivate you to be more effective.
2- Try to set deadlines for yourself.
The first step in overcoming Parkinson’s law is to set deadlines for yourself. Instead of thinking, “How much time do I have?” Think about how much time you need for each task and set a deadline based on that. To understand when you need a job, you must first:
- Understand project requirements: To determine how long you need for a project, you need to have a broad understanding of what is predicted. This step involves creating a list of all the sub-tasks and activities of the larger project.
- Prioritize activities and tasks: Once you have a list of your project needs, you can prioritize your to-do list and decide which studies are more critical or challenging.
Then you need to put the most time-consuming tasks at the top of your list.
- Decide who to involve: If you need help from colleagues in parts of the project, you need to evaluate. Communicating with your team at the beginning of the project can save you time later.
- Estimate your time: Now, you need to have a complete understanding of who, what, and how in your future project. You can now get real-time estimates of the time it takes to complete a project based on your workload and personal productivity level.
Think of your tasks as short-term goals to complete – the sooner you meet them, the more time you will spend on other tasks.
3- Try the timetable.
Scheduling is a productive work strategy that can help you fight procrastination, regain lost productivity, and focus on the work that matters. The schedule involves setting a goal to complete a task in a specific time frame. When you plan how long it should take before starting a job, you become more serious about your career. You can use the timeline to schedule particular tasks, help your team organize or manage meetings more effectively.
4- Try the Pomodoro technique.
The Pomodoro technique, like the timeline, involves focused work sessions with frequent short breaks to increase productivity and reduce mental exhaustion. This technique uses 25-minute work sessions and five-minute breaks to maximize focus. The five-step approach to time management with the Pomodoro technique includes the following:
- Make a to-do list.
- Set the timer to 25 minutes.
- Focus on one task at a time.
- Rest for five minutes.
- After four Pomodoro, rest for 15 to 30 minutes.
5. Use task management tools.
Using work management tools is a great way to organize your workday, schedule personal appointments, and make sure you have enough time to manage your priorities.
You can also make essential to-do lists and track projects, whether through teamwork or personal projects.
Overcoming Parkinson’s law is essential if you want to control your time and increase the amount of work you can do. If you finish work before the deadline, you can use your extra time to advance to work or rest. The goal is to be more efficient, not overworked. Do more in less time using Parkinson’s law.
Once you understand what Parkinson’s law is and how it works, you can use it to your advantage. With the right strategies, such as action planning, setting deadlines, and prioritizing tasks, you can get more done in less time and achieve a better work-life balance. Using task management software can also complement your chosen strategies and help you achieve your goals.
