Do more in less time with Parkinson's Law

What is Parkinson's Law?

Parkinson's Law states: work expands to fill the time available for its completion. Put simply, this means that if you have a day to complete a task, it will take a day to finish it. But if you have a month to complete the task, it will take a month to finish it.

You probably see many examples of Parkinson's Law in your daily life. Let's explain it with an example: you have to give a presentation to management in a month. You keep postponing making this presentation because you think you have enough time. Two hours before your presentation, you realize the urgency. With a lot of stress and top priority, you finish the entire presentation at the last moment. Do you recognize yourself in this scenario?

Use Parkinson's Law to your advantage

Parkinson's Law causes you to inefficiently manage your time. You don't have too little time, but you don't use your time efficiently. It's important to understand the effect the law has on you. With this knowledge, you can make Parkinson's Law work in your favor. We have some ways for you to counteract Parkinson's Law using vPlan!

Geef jezelf tijdsdruk

Onder tijdsdruk neemt je efficiëntie toe en kun je bergen werk verzetten. Wanneer je minder tijd hebt, moet je je automatisch richten op de belangrijkste taak. Gebruik altijd een deadline binnen kaartjes van vPlan. Bepaal of kaartjes met een deadline verplaatst kunnen worden naar een eerder moment. Zorg dat de nieuwe vastgestelde deadline uitdagend is, maar wel realistisch. Ga dus niet uit van de tijd die je krijgt om de taak te voltooien, maar bedenk hoeveel tijd je nodig hebt.

Impose time pressure on yourself

Under time pressure, your efficiency increases, and you can accomplish a lot of work. When you have less time, you automatically focus on the most important task. Always use a deadline within vPlan cards. Determine if cards with a deadline can be moved to an earlier time. Ensure that the new set deadline is challenging but realistic. So, don't rely on the time you have to complete the task, but consider how much time you need.

Start small

Don't rush into things and make sure you beat Parkinson's Law with small steps. Try tasks like clearing your inbox, instead of doing it in 30 minutes, do it in 15 minutes. Try producing your product in 7.5 hours instead of 8 hours. Challenge yourself to do it in 7 hours after that. Realistic time pressure ensures that you become more efficient with each step.

Track how much time you really need for your tasks. In addition to estimating time within vPlan, you also need to track time. Within the analysis view in vPlan, you can monitor whether you are on the right track to beat Parkinson's Law.

Compare weeks when you didn't consider Parkinson's Law with weeks when you used Parkinson's Law to your advantage. Within the analysis view of vPlan, you can see exactly how long it takes you to do your work. See your consumed hours per activity decrease and your productivity increase on the dashboard.

Do you want to beat Parkinson's Law? Try vPlan now for 14 days free!