How to Use Parkinson’s Law To Get More Done in Less Time

Here’s the thing: when it comes to time management, you’re not really busy; you’re just really good at making everything take forever. Whether it’s drafting an email, finishing that report, or launching a new project, somehow, it all expands to fill the time you’ve got available.

Well, that’s Parkinson’s Law, my friend, and it’s quietly sabotaging your productivity—just like that never-ending “quick call” that turned into a 90-minute therapy session with your colleague.

Parkinson’s Law states, “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” Meaning, if you give yourself a week to finish a task, you’ll magically take all week to get it done.

But here’s the kicker: if you give yourself two hours to do the same task? Yeah, you’ll probably finish in two hours. It’s not magic, it’s focus.

So how do you actually use this little law to your advantage? Let’s get into how to use Parkinson’s law.

The Origin of Parkinson’s Law: How a Historian Called Out Procrastination

Parkinson’s Law dates back to 1955. The law was coined by Cyril Northcote Parkinson, a British naval historian and author, who noticed something interesting while studying the inefficiencies of the British civil service. In a satirical essay, he highlighted how tasks tend to expand to fill the time allocated for their completion. What started as a humorous observation about bureaucracy has since evolved into a widely recognized principle of time management.

Parkinson’s insight wasn’t stricly about work; it was about how humans, in the pursuit of progress, manage (or mismanage) time.

Why Parkinson’s Law Is Secretly Running (or Ruining) Your Life

You might not know this, but Parkinson’s Law is likely controlling your workday—and not in a good way. Ever wondered why tasks that should take 15 minutes somehow stretch into hours? Or why you’re always racing against the clock to finish something right before a deadline? It’s because you’re letting time dictate your effort, rather than the actual work.

The reality is, we humans are incredibly adaptable. When we know we’ve got all day to do something, we move slower. We procrastinate. We get distracted by everything from cute cat videos to deciding that now is the perfect time to rearrange the desk drawer.

But when we have less time, suddenly everything sharpens. You’re moving faster, thinking clearer, and pulling out ninja-level focus. That’s Parkinson’s Law in action.

How to Use Parkinson’s Law to Hack Your Productivity

Now that you know what Parkinson’s Law is, let’s talk about how to actually use it to get more done and completely shift how you think about time and work.

Ready? Here’s how to use parkinson’s law to your advantage, instead of against you.

1. Set Shorter Deadlines Than Necessary

Set “impossible” deadlines. Now, this sounds a bit dramatic, but stay with me. Parkinson’s Law teaches us that we get more done when we have less time, so why not take it to the extreme? By setting what I like to call an “impossible deadline,” you’ll trick your brain into hyper-efficiency mode. Think of it as a challenge: How fast can I really complete this task?

When you set deadlines that seem almost too short, you force yourself to work with laser-like focus. Of course, don’t sacrifice quality entirely, but you’ll find that you can complete more than you ever thought possible in a fraction of the time.

Example: If you have a report due in a week, tell yourself it’s due in 3 hours. Yes, 3 hours. You’ll be surprised at how much faster you work when the clock is ticking. You might even finish earlier and with time to spare.

2. Shorten Your To-Do List (Drastically)

If you’re someone who writes a to-do list that looks more like a novel, I’ve got some bad news: you’re doing it wrong. The problem with long to-do lists is that they make you feel productive without actually being productive. You think you’re being efficient by writing everything down, but really, you’re just overwhelming yourself. Parkinson’s Law thrives on simplicity, and that means focusing on fewer tasks.

Here’s the deal: Instead of writing down 20 tasks, narrow it down to the 3-5 most important things you must do today. You’ll feel less overwhelmed, and because the list is shorter, you’re more likely to finish it before your time expands into infinity.

Example: Instead of listing every possible thing you could do today, prioritize. “Finish client proposal,” “Reply to urgent emails,” and “Plan marketing strategy for next week.” You’ll not only feel more focused but also complete tasks faster because you’re only focusing on what truly matters.

3. Limit Your Time for Meetings (Or Better Yet, Don’t Have Them)

Ah, meetings—the black hole of time. We’ve all been there, stuck in meetings that could’ve been emails, with people droning on about things that don’t even matter.

Here’s how you can leverage Parkinson’s Law: set a hard time limit for meetings. Instead of booking an hour, make it 15 minutes. You’ll be amazed at how much you can cover when everyone knows the clock is ticking.

By shrinking the time you allot for meetings, you force everyone (yourself included) to focus on what’s important. No more rambling, no more side tangents—just straight to the point.

Example: Next time someone schedules a 60-minute meeting, suggest a 20-minute slot instead. Suddenly, what would have been a bloated hour of chit-chat turns into a tight, efficient discussion. And yes, you’ll likely finish early.

4. Use Time Blocking to Box in Your Tasks

Time blocking is a godsend when it comes to applying Parkinson’s Law. The idea is simple: block off chunks of time in your calendar dedicated to specific tasks—and then stick to those time blocks like your productivity depends on it (because it does).

Time blocking works because it forces you to focus on just one thing during that window, with no room for distractions. And because that block is finite, you’ll naturally push yourself to get as much done as possible before the time runs out.

Example: Let’s say you’ve blocked out 90 minutes for writing content. When that 90 minutes is up, you move on to your next task, whether the content is done or not. No overthinking, no extending the time—you get it done within the block.

5. Automate or Eliminate Repetitive Tasks

You can’t use Parkinson’s Law to shrink time on tasks that shouldn’t even exist in the first place. Look at your daily routine and identify repetitive, low-value tasks that take up more time than they should. Then, either automate them or eliminate them entirely.

When you streamline or outsource these tasks, you free up more time to focus on high-priority work, and your productivity skyrockets. Parkinson’s Law only works when you’re focused on the right tasks, so don’t let the wrong ones take up valuable space in your day.

Example: If you’re spending hours every week scheduling social media posts, automate it with a tool like Buffer or Hootsuite. That way, you get the same results in a fraction of the time. The more you automate, the more time you reclaim.

6. Treat Every Task Like It’s Urgent

Most of us reserve urgency for last-minute emergencies, but what if you applied that same urgency to every task? Parkinson’s Law works best when there’s a sense of immediacy. The trick is to act like everything has a looming deadline—even if it doesn’t.

By working as though time is constantly running out, you’ll discover new levels of efficiency. Urgency fuels focus, and focus gets the job done.

Example: Think about how much you accomplish on the Friday before a long weekend. Now imagine applying that mindset every day. You’ll start knocking out tasks in record time because you’re not dragging them out for no reason.

7. Embrace the Power of “Good Enough”

Perfectionism is the sworn enemy of productivity. We’ve all been there—tweaking a presentation slide for the 12th time because the color just doesn’t feel right. But here’s the thing: you’re wasting time. Parkinson’s Law can help you kill the perfectionist in you by forcing you to embrace the concept of “good enough.”

By giving yourself less time to complete a task, you’re forced to accept that not everything needs to be perfect. Done is better than perfect, and often, “good enough” is all you need to get the job done.

Example: When writing an email, give yourself 10 minutes to draft it, proofread once, and hit send. Stop obsessing over whether the wording is flawless. The point is to get the task done, not agonize over minor details. Set a time limit, finish, and move on.

8. Use the 2-Minute Rule (With a Twist)

The 2-Minute Rule, popularized by David Allen’s Getting Things Done, states that if a task will take less than 2 minutes to complete, you should do it immediately. But let’s tweak it a bit with Parkinson’s Law in mind: If a task will take less than 10 minutes, cut it down to 5. If you think something will take 30 minutes, compress it to 15.

The idea is to constantly shave off unnecessary time. You’ll find that most of your tasks can be completed much faster than you think if you apply a little pressure.

Example: Let’s say you have to respond to a few emails. Normally, you might spend 30 minutes crafting the perfect response. Instead, set a timer for 10 minutes and see how many you can bang out. Chances are, they won’t be any less effective for having been done quickly.

9. Combine Tasks to Maximize Time Efficiency

Another way to use Parkinson’s Law to your advantage is by combining smaller tasks. Ever heard of task batching? It’s the productivity technique where you group similar tasks together to avoid context-switching. Parkinson’s Law works great here because it compresses the time you spend switching between tasks.

Instead of doing emails, calls, and admin work spread throughout your day, block out a single hour where you do all of them. By putting them into one focused block, you’re making more efficient use of your time—and shrinking the tasks to fit the time you’ve set.

Example: Instead of responding to emails as they trickle in, batch them. Set aside 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon for email. This forces you to work faster and makes you less prone to distractions throughout the day.

10. Conduct Regular Time Audits

This one’s a little meta, but it’s very important: track how you’re actually spending your time. If you want to use Parkinson’s Law effectively, you need to be aware of where your time is slipping away. Conducting regular time audits will reveal your time-wasting habits and help you tighten up your schedule.

For a week, track every task and how long it takes. You’ll probably find that what you think takes an hour is actually dragging on for two or three. Once you know where you’re spending too much time, you can start setting tighter deadlines to shave off the excess.

Example: Use a time-tracking app or even just a notebook to log how long each task takes throughout your day. At the end of the week, review the data. You’ll likely find plenty of places where you can compress time and work more efficiently.

11. Make Time for Rest (Yes, Really)

Okay, this one seems counterintuitive, but stick with me. Parkinson’s Law doesn’t mean you should be working non-stop. In fact, compressing your work into shorter, more focused bursts means you’ll have more time for rest. And rest is essential for productivity.

By limiting your work hours, you’re also giving yourself the gift of downtime. And guess what? When you know that you have a hard stop at the end of the day, you’ll work faster and more efficiently during the hours you do have.

Example: Set a firm cutoff time for work—say, 5 PM. By knowing that you must stop working at that time, you’ll naturally compress your tasks into the earlier part of the day. Parkinson’s Law applies to rest, too. The less time you give yourself to work, the more you’ll get done before the clock runs out.

12. Use Parkinson’s Law for Personal Projects, Too

Let’s not forget that Parkinson’s Law isn’t just for work—it can help you tackle personal projects as well. Whether it’s working out, meal prepping, or tackling a home renovation, setting tight deadlines on personal tasks will keep you from procrastinating.

Give yourself a deadline for non-work-related projects, and watch how quickly you get them done. Because let’s be honest, if you give yourself all weekend to clean the house, you’ll take all weekend. But if you tell yourself it needs to be done in two hours? That vacuum will be whizzing in no time.

Example: If you’ve been meaning to declutter your garage, don’t give yourself the whole weekend to get it done. Set a timer for three hours and get to work. You’ll be amazed at how much you can accomplish when the pressure’s on.

Conclusion: Control Your Time, Control Your Life

Parkinson’s Law is simple: Work expands to fill the time available for its completion. But that doesn’t mean you have to let time dictate your productivity. By applying the strategies above, you’ll learn to compress tasks, set tight deadlines, and make the most of every hour in your day.

Remember, time is a finite resource, but your ability to manage it is not. Whether you’re running a business, working on personal projects, or just trying to get through your to-do list, Parkinson’s Law is your secret weapon for getting more done in less time. So go ahead, set some impossible deadlines, shorten that to-do list, and take back control of your time. Because when you control your time, you control your life.