I read about Parkinson’s Law today as I was re-reading the 4 Hour Workweek.
I well know the value of deadlines. One thing that has helped me be a better writer is doing timed practice. That’s basicallly a short deadline. Write everything you can about this subject for the next ten minutes, that kind of thing. It will make you a better writer in no time.
Parkinson’s Law as applied to time is good to remember when a task seems overwhelming.
“Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”
That it does. When you give yourself a small amount of time to do something, you will automatically focus on the most important parts of the task. Its almost forcing you to recognize the 80/20 rule and live by it.
Our brains are so focused on finding distractions. We can spend a full day doing just a few errands, things that could have been done in an hour.
Remember Parkinson’s Law when you want to accomplish something, and set that deadline even if it hurts.
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