What Is Parkinson’s Law?

Key Takeaways

• Parkinson’s law explains why tasks often take longer when given more time.
• It demonstrates how work tends to expand to fill the time available, which leads to procrastination or inefficiency.
• Strategies that can help you combat Parkinson’s law include planning your time, writing down goals, using realistic deadlines, and prioritizing tasks. Breaking tasks into smaller steps and setting a time to focus on each step can also help.

Parkinson’s law is an axiom that states, “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” It describes how tasks often take longer simply because more time is allowed, which can lead to procrastination and unnecessary stress.

Parkinson’s law is not a scientific principle. Instead, it is an observation of a phenomenon many people experience. It can explain the expansion of organizations or bureaucracies. However, it can also be a helpful way to think about other types of work, including personal productivity.

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How Parkinson’s Law Explains Procrastination

Cyril Northcote Parkinson first described the phenomenon in a 1955 humor essay published in “The Economist,” coining the term Parkinson’s law. It states that the more time you allow for a task’s completion, the more complex it tends to become.

For example, if you give yourself a week to finish something that would only take an hour to complete, then that one-hour task will grow in complexity, requiring more time and resources than were originally needed.

Parkinson’s law can also lead people to procrastinate, leaving tasks until right before they are due. You might initially feel relieved that you have plenty of time to finish a project, only to put it off as long as possible.

This expansion means that tasks become even more daunting, requiring much more mental energy. This means that they frequently become a source of stress and anxiety. 

When you find yourself finishing the task, you might feel a sense of relief but also wonder why the project became so much more of a burden in your mind than it was in real life. The “extra time” that the task requires often isn’t related to the task itself—it’s mental stress caused by worrying about getting it done.

Why We Take Longer When We Have More Time

One reason why this phenomenon happens lies in how people tend to approach tasks. Research indicates that when people start a new project, they tend to focus on how much time they have available to do it instead of how much time the task would take to complete.

This mindset often makes tasks appear more time-consuming than necessary. When we focus on the time available, we may assume the task will take that entire duration to complete.

In Parkinson’s original example, a woman had the entire day to mail a postcard. The simplicity of the task led her to stretch it out, filling the whole day.

The fictional woman spends a half-hour searching for her reading glasses. Writing the postcard takes another two hours. More time is spent finding a stamp, writing the address, and walking the postcard to the post office. 

While Parkinson’s original example was exaggerated for humorous effect, it also clearly illustrated how giving yourself too much time to do a simple task makes it more complex and time-consuming.

Some researchers have proposed that Parkinson’s law can also apply to how fast and how much people benefit from psychotherapy. For example, brief psychotherapies that establish a set completion date might result in the “work” expanding to fill the available time.

How to Stop Time From Slipping Away

Parkinson’s law is an observation that can guide you to become more productive. Here are some strategies to help you make the most of your time:

• Avoid procrastination: When you have a lot of time to complete a task, it’s easy to push it off until later. But if you plan your time carefully and set deadlines for yourself, you can overcome procrastination.
• Write down your goals: Whatever your goal happens to be, write it down. Track your progress by regularly checking in and noting the progress you’ve made, what still needs to be done, and whether your final goal has changed at all throughout the project. This type of reflective goal-tracking helps keep you accountable but can also help you better visualize your progress, your remaining work, and whether or not the project appears more daunting than it really is.
• Set realistic deadlines: Think about how long a task will take. While this might not always be clear, consider past experiences as a guide. Instead of focusing on when the task must be done, think about how soon you can get it done and out of your way. When you have a clear understanding of how long a task should take, you can avoid the tendency to expand the work to fill the time you have available.
• Prioritize your tasks: If you have a lot of tasks to complete, it’s important to prioritize them. By identifying which tasks are most important, you can ensure that you focus on them first and not get bogged down by less important tasks.
• Use a timer: One effective way to avoid Parkinson’s law is to use a timer. When you know that you only have a certain amount of time to complete a task, you’re less likely to expand the work to fill the available time.
• Break tasks down: Break large projects into smaller tasks using a technique called chunking, and set self-imposed deadlines along the way. This approach makes big projects feel more manageable, helps you stay focused, and can reduce the effects of Parkinson’s Law by keeping your momentum going.
• Take regular breaks: When working on a project, it’s essential to take regular breaks. This will help you avoid burnout and keep your mind fresh. Try working on a project during your most productive period and take a break when you start to feel distracted or less motivated. Just ensure you don’t use the break as an excuse to procrastinate. 

Time Management Strategies That Help You Get More Done

You can also use many different time management strategies to avoid Parkinson’s law. Using these strategies, you can ensure that you make the most of your time and avoid expanding the work to fill the time you have available.

Strategies that can help you manage your time wisely include:

• Utilizing a daily planner and other tools such as time trackers and reminders
• Setting aside time for specific tasks and blocking out distractions
• Having a routine
• Getting organized, so you don’t have to waste time looking for important items
• Avoiding multitasking, which reduces productivity and takes up more time

Research suggests that time management can positively affect productivity—but it has an even stronger impact on well-being. Managing your time well can reduce emotional exhaustion, stress, and work-life conflict.

Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

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By Kendra Cherry, MSEd

Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the “Everything Psychology Book.”

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