The Power of Parkinson’s Law
Cyril Parkinson, a British naval historian, and
Parkinson’s first sentence states, “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” He noted that as bureaucracies expanded, they became more inefficient. He then applied this observation to a variety of other situations, realizing that as the size of something increased, its efficiency dropped.
Parkinson’s law is now taught as a proven method to increase productivity. Too many people get lost in tasks that take too long. Giving yourself clear time frames on how long you will work on a job helps your brain activate. If I told you, you have four hours to finish a report it will probably take you all four hours. But if I were to say to you there are only two hours to get it done; you would probably make it happen. Why? Because you gave yourself a clear boundary and pushed yourself to work within it. The more time you give yourself to do something the less efficient you become and the greater the chance you will fill the entire time.
Over-planners get killed by this law. When you start to work too far in advance it actually slows you down. On top of the slowing down, people also tend to get more stressed because they create a world that has to move slowly in order to feel confident. Therefore, anytime something comes up last minute they freak out believing they can’t get it done. Certainly, we need to prepare and be ahead of the game, but over-planning and over-scheduling can be just as detrimental as lack of planning; especially in a market that is ever-increasing in speed. Organizations that over plan actually end up underproducing. We have to develop an intense ability to move fast and be decisive.
Organizations that over plan actually end up underproducing.
Here are a three tips on how to use Parkinson’s Law to your advantage:
1) Keep Your Schedule Tight
Ingvar Kamprad, the founder of IKEA, wisely said, “If you split your day into ten-minute increments, and you try to waste as few of those ten-minute increments as possible, you’ll be amazed at what you can get done.” Keep your schedule tight by challenging yourself to squeeze productivity out. Instead of giving yourself an hour to do a task challenge yourself to get it done in 40 minutes. Use timers, clocks, and make it a game with yourself. Give yourself a 10-minute deadline to answer as many emails as you can. You’ll be amazed at how much faster you will move when you give yourself deadlines. I have coached many people that have gotten back an hour or two a day. Add that up…that’s 5-10 hours a week you can get back.
2) Keep Your Distractions Down
Don’t allow distractions to steal your productivity. Stop allowing yourself to check your phone every 5 minutes. Stop allowing people to corner you in the office. Stop allowing pop-ups and emails to get your attention. Productivity increases in distraction-free zones. Have sacred time that you hide away and get things done. Don’t allow the pressure of feeling like you have to always be available to slow you down. You’ll be more productive when you are at your best. So, find where, when, and how you work the best and create that environment often.
3) Keep Your Anxiety In Check
In an ever increasing pace of business today it will require you to lead with speed. You can’t allow anxiety and pressure to slow you down. I know this is a hard one to overcome, but highly successful people don’t allow anxieties to overshadow their ability to pivot fast and get things done. Chances are, your job requires you to move faster than you would like at times. Maybe it’s lack of planning, maybe it’s orders from a personality that procrastinates, maybe it’s just the nature of demands…whatever the case you’re going to have to navigate through it. I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t feel there is more to be done than they have time for…embrace it, don’t fight it. Set boundaries around your life and understand there is always tomorrow. One person can only do so much, don’t kill yourself and burnout. Create healthy ways to destress and rejuvenate your energy so you are at your best…even in hard situations.
