What is Parkinson's Law?
The term first coined by historian and author, Cyril Northcote Parkinson, Parkinson’s Law dictates the time it takes to complete a task. But how do we manipulate and apply it to increase our efficiency?
Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time allotted for completion. When given plenty of time to finish a task, the task will become overcomplicated, adding more time required to finish it.
Imagine an employee tasked with creating a presentation announcing a new product. The employee is tasked to say what the new product is and how it functions. The employee is given a timeline of three days to finish this project. This task is not difficult and can simply be finished in one day, if the employee wished to. But since the employee was given three days, the task quickly becomes overcomplicated. The employee brainstorms an elaborate introduction and conclusion, decorative slides, and even video elements for the presentation. The now very overcomplicated task requires a minimum of three days to complete. Parkinson’s Law took full effect in this example and induced more stress than necessary in the employee.
An additional law may explain the reasoning behind Parkinson’s Law and why it affects many people. This law is known as the Yerkes-Dodson Law and it states that a quickly-approaching deadline increases motivation and the sense of urgency to complete a task, making procrastination easier when there is plenty of time allotted to a task.
How to Use Parkinson's Law:
Parkinson’s Law can be used to your advantage, rather than working against you. Here are a few simple steps to follow to ensure you do not fall victim to Parkinson’s Law and how it can be applied to work for you:
1. Understand the Task's Value
Understanding the purpose of the task increases motivation and drive to complete it earlier than the deadline. Knowing where a seemingly unimportant task fits into the ‘bigger picture’ increases the attention and effort you put into a task, despite how frustrating it initially could have been.
2. Establish the Steps for Success
Breaking a large project down into simple steps helps make a daunting task look less intimidating. Your brain is obviously much more inclined to finish one page of a larger report in one sitting rather than the entirety of the report. Breaking an intimidating tasks into manageable steps increases workflow and drive to begin working on a large project. Additionally, see our article on The Pomodoro Technique for a great strategy when breaking down a large project.
3. Formulate a Success Criteria
Moving the goalposts for a project is the biggest trap that Parkinson’s Law creates, so set a boundary for the project to know when it is fully completed. For the example of the overzealous employee, this boundary would simply be to create a presentation that served its purpose. This does not discourage creativity and innovation, it simply organizes it. Setting a goal beyond the initial requirements is great and often encouraged. Setting a goal too far beyond the initial requirements slows a project’s momentum and overcomplicates the process. This is why pointing out goals that are ‘out of bounds’ is also valuable. This reduces the temptation on improving the project once it has been fully completed.
4. Establish a Timeline
Although a deadline has most likely already been established, the guidelines you have developed from previous steps may influence a more feasible and earlier deadline. Additionally, setting deadlines for the smaller tasks ensures consistent progression. Lastly, make the timeline realistic, but short. This applies manageable pressure while maintaining steady progress towards the end goal. Making Parkinson’s Law work for us becomes very difficult when this detail is ignored.
Parkinson’s Law plagues everyone, but few can influence it to their benefit. Apply these four steps to avoid falling victim to Parkinson’s Law and shorten the timelines you have to complete a daunting project.
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