I’m back with another motivation and productivity post!
Lately, I’ve been loving writing about these topics because, after everything I’ve been through over the last decade as an entrepreneur who started three companies, I’m still learning and facing new challenges every day. If you’re going through the same, I hope my posts can help you too.
Time and time again, I realise that efficiency and discipline are the two things that help me overcome these challenges.
Alright! Today, let’s talk about time management.
Ever noticed how a seemingly 30-minute task can somehow drag on for hours just because you have the time? That’s Parkinson’s Law in action!
Wait, hang on! Every time I mention Parkinson’s Law, people always assume I’m referring to Parkinson’s disease, but nope - it was actually coined by a different Parkinson!
So what is Parkinson’s Law?
Parkinson’s Law states that,
Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.
So what it actually means is that tasks often take longer than they should because when more time is allocated, people subconsciously stretch the work to fit that time, even if it could be completed sooner.
This concept was first introduced by C. Northcote Parkinson in a 1955 essay published in The Economist.
Here are some examples of Parkinson’s Law in action:
📌 At Work
You’re given a week to complete a report that could be done in a day. Instead of finishing it early, you procrastinate, overthink, and unnecessarily expand the work until it takes the entire week.
📌 At School
You have a month to prepare for an exam but only start studying in the last few days. The time was always there, you just didn’t use it efficiently.
My Personal Experience with Parkinson’s Law
A year ago, I planned to expand my company, which meant finding a new investor. Thinking I had plenty of time, I took a hands-off approach, delegating the task to a team member, assuming it was in good hands.
Eight months later - zero results and we were zooming towards a critical landmine! That’s when I realised I needed to step in.
I had one week to accomplish what hadn’t been done in the last eight months!
It wasn’t a smooth week at all. There were major team changes, clashing egos and obstacles that made it even harder to secure an investor. But because I had tightened the deadline, I pushed through, bulldozed past the roadblocks and in the end I secured an investor in just three days. Woohoo!
And guess what? This investor turned out to be one of the most compatible business partners we’ve ever had and now the company is finally thriving in the right direction!
Here’s another personal experience sharing.
At one point, our company’s processes slowed ridiculously due to a manager who insisted on long, unnecessary meetings. Some dragged on for three hours when an email would have sufficed. We tried addressing it, but faced a lot of pushback. (Setting boundaries is another topic I’ll elaborate on in a future post!)
The result? Performance dropped, revenue suffered and frustration grew.
That’s when we applied the principles of Parkinson’s Law, putting aside excess niceness to focus on getting things done efficiently.
We implemented strict meeting caps:
✔ 30-minute max per meeting
✔ No small talk, no off-topic discussions
✔ Key points covered in the first 5 minutes
✔ Anything extra? Take it to email.
And guess what? Productivity skyrocketed. As of today, this simple shift has helped us move faster, work smarter, and get things done without wasting precious time.
How to Beat Parkinson’s Law??
1. Set Fake Deadlines 🚀
This to me is the ultimate solution. If you have one week, challenge yourself to finish in two days. The urgency will force you to eliminate distractions and work efficiently.
2. Use the Time Blocking Method 🎯
Schedule fixed time slots for tasks. For example, I gave myself just 2 hours to write this blog post and another 30 minutes to add photos, SEO tags and descriptions.
When the time was up, I realized everything was done and honestly, I was surprised! Previously, I could spend an entire day writing and rewriting the same post.
Time blocking prevents unnecessary work expansion, keeping you focused and efficient.
And the best part? The quality didn’t slip. I still covered everything I wanted in this post. If there’s anything I feel needs more detail - well, that’s just an opportunity for another post!
3. Prioritise Essential Work 💡
Not everything needs to be perfect.
When I edit photos, I usually correct the colours, remove people from the background and even clean up dirt and rubbish in outdoor shots. But sometimes, I end up spending so much time on just one photo that it becomes difficult to consistently create content every day.
One day, my husband challenged me, “Don’t give it 100%, give it 80%.”
So I tried it - I corrected the colours and left everything else as it was. No excessive Photoshop, no obsessing over tiny imperfections. And guess what? The photos received almost the same amount of engagement as my usual posts! Plus, I saved so much time.
Now, here’s the caveat: This applies to content I post on my own platforms. As the title suggests, it’s about prioritising essential work. If I know a piece of content will be used for marketing materials or client projects, I still give it my 100%. But for daily sharings and casual posts? 80% is more than enough.
Final Thoughts: Time is What You Make It
Parkinson’s Law is everywhere from work to chores to personal projects. But once you recognise it, you can take control of your time instead of letting it control you.
So next time you’re about to spend forever on a simple task, stop and ask - “How fast can I actually do this?”
Chances are, you’ll shock yourself at how much faster you can really move. 😉
I hope this is useful! Have you noticed Parkinson’s Law at play in your daily life? Let me know in the comments!
Your friend,
Juliana
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