Learnings — Parkinson’s Law and How I Approach Personal Time Management — AKA Do More with Lesser Time
‘Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion’, or as written by Tim Ferris in The 4-Hour Workweek “… a task will swell in (perceived) importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for completing it.
Parkinson’s Law is why most people somehow finish tasks before the deadline. The important ones at least. Whether it’s last-minute school homework or a $56,000 media plan for a client, I’ve definitely been a victim of letting my work expand to fill all available time.
No logic to time management has not helped anybody, including me. What’s worse — I would complete 90% of my daily job list in 60% of the time. The last 10%, always took the remaining 40% (#howmathworks). Most of this time would be spent lazing around, undecided, coaxing myself into starting the task at hand.
When there could be absolutely no more delay, I set to work, doing the least allowed and taking the most accessible path to complete the job.
Yup. Been there. Done that.
Change Parkison’s Law To Work For You
‘Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion’ — let’s analyze this. In this sentence, work is a ‘constant’, and time is a ‘variable’. This means work takes longer with more available time and is quicker with lesser available time.
Wait. Giving yourself lesser time? Isn’t that the same as working on the last day?
In theory. Yes.
In practice, you change the last day.You don’t wait for the last minute — you move up the last minute, essentially converting distress to eustress.
Giving yourself ambitious deadlines propels you to do things quickly. It forces you to be in the moment, and to be focused. It's much easier to achieve a Zen-flow while maintaining complete control over your thoughts and actions. It’s also much harder to go astray when there’s no time. Just see how Jeff Bezos, Jack Dorsey, and Elon Musk implement Parkinson’s Law.
Well, I’m no Jeff, Jack, or Elon; what do I do?!
How To Practice Parkinson’s Law Daily
1. Work with Deadlines
Reasonable ones. Audacious ones. Simple ones.
For everything you have to do — give yourself a deadline. Deadlines make things happen. In the world of marketing and sales, we use the same principles of time to grow sales, only we call it the Scarcity Principle. Practicing Parkinson’s Law = treating time as a scarcity.
2. Take The Modular Approach
Breakdown each task and goal into the smallest S.M.A.R.T(specific, measurable, assignable, relevant, time-based) units.
Here’s what my task list looks like:
- Content Calendar
i. Create Excel sheet–2 minutes
ii. Check sales/discounts/offers–15 minutes
iii. Format Excel Sheet–5 minutes
iv. Look for References–60 minutes
v. Fill Excel Sheet with relevant reference and copy–40 minutes
vi. Send Sheet to client–2 minutes
vii. Wait for feedback and discuss changes — Dependant
viii. Make changes — 15 minutes
ix. Work on designs with team — Dependant
x. Create deck to pool together design and content — 30 minutes
xi. Send deck to client-2 minutes
xii. Wait for feedback and changes — Dependant
xiii. Make changes — 15 minutes
xiv. Send to client — 2 minutes - Publishing Schedule
i. Schedule monthly posts on IG–10 minutes
ii. Schedule monthly posts on Twitter–10 minutes
iii. Schedule monthly posts on FB–10 minutes
iv. Schedule monthly posts on LinkedIn–15 minutes (Phew… LinkedIn’s UI…sigh) - Magazine Article
i. Research topic and find credible source points–60 minutes
ii. Create a questionnaire and send it to industry leaders–60 minutes
iii. Write Draft 1–45 minutes
iv. Edit Draft 1–20 minutes
v. Follow-up with industry leaders who haven’t replied–20 minutes
vi. Write Draft 2–40 minutes
vii. Edit Draft 2–10 minutes
viii. Send to Editor, wait for feedback–Dependant
ix. Back-and-forth about feedback; email or phone–10 minutes
x. Write Final Draft–30 minutes
xi. Edit Final Draft–5 minutes
Yes, it makes it seem like a lot of steps; but it also allows me to focus my energy on only what I must do, and how much time I’ve to do it, making the job simpler and quicker. The objective here is to constantly bring down the time taken. Force yourself. #UseTheForce
Taking the modular approach also allows you to breakdown and truly see how much “work” needs you, and where it may rely on other people as well. No more being lost in the process or being indecisive over what comes next.
3. Start Anywhere
Seriously. Anywhere. Completing any task is better than completing no task. And if you’re following the modular approach, you can pick and choose from different jobs and never find yourself lost when you switch between projects.
4. Know What And When “Done” Means
Perfectionists always wait till the last minute to submit something. Often, there isn’t much to change. Finished a job before your deadline (you’ll find yourself doing this a lot with Parkinson’s Law, eg. I had to write this piece next week), doesn’t mean revisiting the project till you reach the deadline. That going against the point. Stop yourself from doing unnecessary work.
5. Just Do It — Immediately
The job is real. The clocks ticking. But you’ll do it tomorrow. Why though? That’s not a reasonable deadline unless you’ve things planned for today. Be true to yourself more than anything.
A famous Indian poet, Kabir, once said, “Kaal Kare So Aaj Kar, Aaj Kare So Ub Pal Mein Pralaya Hoyegi, Bahuri Karoge Kub” which loosely translates to JUST DO IT — IMMEDIATELY.
‘Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion’, clearly this is not a new thought. Philosophers and historians have both known this. So have the innovators, disruptors, and leaders.
And yes, work sucks! Almost 90% of us do it only because we get paid. Might as well treat it as such. Seize back control of your own work-life balance.
Treat time as a scarcity.
