Defining Parkinson's law
As Brian Tracy explains on his blog, Parkinson's law states that the time spent on fulfilling a task increases based on the time slot reserved for it. In practice, this means that no matter how much time you allocate to a given task, this is how long it will actually take to complete.
So if you reserve two hours for a task that would normally take just one hour, you will really only finish the task after two hours. This principle, of course, has its limitations: if you were to book just one day to write a novel, it would not be enough. Likewise, if you block three hours for writing a short e-mail, you will most likely finish the task earlier
The risk of procrastination
At the same time, Parkinson's law, within certain limits, really does work. This is because when we know we have more time for a task than we necessarily need, we subconsciously tend to work more slowly and procrastinate. Out of two hours reserved for a task that takes just one, we spend half the time on ineffective work or procrastination.
How to plan your work with Parkinson's law in mind
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Set realistic, yet challenging deadlines. For maximum efficiency, do not set yourself deadlines that are too benevolent. You will thus ensure you will not spend more time on tasks than is really necessary.
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Measure how much time tasks take you. If you are working on similar tasks repeatedly, try finishing the task in the most efficient and quickest way possible (of course, while maintaining the required level of quality). You can then use this time entry as a benchmark when planning similar tasks in the future.
- Plan for breaks. A common reason why people sometimes tend to procrastinate or are unable to work in a quick and efficient manner, is that they do not allow for any breaks. Plan your work so that you fully focus on working at specified times, but also include short breaks.
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