Glossary
Parkinson's law, explained
Parkinson's law is the observation that "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion". Cyril Northcote Parkinson wrote it in an essay in The Economist in 1955.
What it means
Parkinson was writing about bureaucracy, but the line describes everyday work too: a task given a whole afternoon tends to take the whole afternoon. Shorter, explicit time limits push you to decide what matters and finish.
How to do it in a calendar
- Give tasks a block shorter than feels comfortable, and end on time.
- Use timeboxing for tasks that tend to sprawl, like email and slides.
- Put a hard stop at the end of the day.
An example
A presentation that took a full day last time gets a 2-hour block. It is done in 2 hours and 15 minutes, and the rest of the day goes to sales.
Common mistakes
- Cutting time on deep work too hard. Some work needs long blocks; the law is about sprawl, not about rushing hard problems.
Where it comes from
C. Northcote Parkinson, "Parkinson's Law", The Economist (November 1955).
Questions
Is Parkinson's law scientifically proven?
It began as a satirical essay, not a study. Research on deadlines and the planning fallacy points in a similar direction: people use the time they give themselves.
Plan your week on Cutline
Free forever for planning, XP, streaks and the Arena. Reserve your @name now.