By Katie Azevedo, M.Ed.
Have you ever noticed that an assignment due in one week takes one week to complete, but a same-sized assignment due in one day only takes one day to do?
This isn’t just a “you” thing. It’s due to a psychological theory called Parkinson’s Law. Parkinson’s Law states that work shrinks or expands to fill the time available for its completion.
The good news? You can hack this law to get certain kinds of schoolwork and projects done faster (without sacrificing quality) so you stop scrambling to complete things at the last minute. (If you’re looking for ways to study less, these are the strategies you need.)
In this blog post, I’m going to show you how to use Parkinson’s law to get schoolwork done faster. The strategies below will help you if you’re in high school, college, or graduate school. (If you happen to be reading this blog post as a professional, these tips are for you too!)
What is Parkinson’s Law?
Parkinson’s Law is not a scientific principle, but it’s a psychological observation of human behavior that happens in nearly every context, including work and school.
Again, the law states that work shrinks or expands to fill the time available for its completion.
According to Parkinson’s Law, if you give yourself 4 hours to finish a relatively small assignment, you’ll take all 4 hours. This is because you’ll overinflate your “preparation” for the task, exaggerate your perception of its difficulty, overthink the resources involved, and otherwise psych yourself up for something bigger than it really is. Before you know it, a small task has taken 4 hours to complete.
However, if you give yourself 90 minutes to complete the task, you’ll suddenly work faster, cut the fluff, and still get it done.
Parkinson’s Law is at play in both of the above scenarios.
Let’s look at an example of a task expanding and shrinking to fit the amount of time we give to it.
Example of a task EXPANDING: You’re given two weeks to write a straightforward 3-page essay. Over the next two weeks, you delay getting started, then you write an outline, then you write a draft, then you take a few days off, and then you complete the essay. The task expands to fill the entire two weeks.
Example of a task SHRINKING: You’re given one night to write that same straightforward 3-page essay. You sit down at your computer and get it done in a few hours — proving that the task can shrink to fit the time available to complete it.
How to Use Parkinson’s Law to Your Advantage
Understanding how Parkinson’s Law works can help you use it to your advantage in school. The following strategies can help.
1. Set Your Own Shorter Deadlines
This strategy can really work if you commit to it.
Here’s what you do: Pick a time limit shorter than what you think you need to complete the task. Or, pick a deadline that’s shorter than the real deadline given by your teacher.
Next, write your new deadline in your task management system and your calendar. Write it in your notebooks. Write it on your mirror. This is your new deadline.
Whenever your brain starts to justify procrastination using the real (original) deadline as an excuse, tell it to knock it off. (Use these tips if you struggle with finishing what you start.)
2. Work for Timed, Focused Sprints
Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time we give it. So if you give yourself two hours to finish a minor homework assignment, your brain will find a way to stretch out the task for the full two hours — whether by over-planning, getting distracted, or just working slowly and without focus.
Here’s the hack: Instead of giving yourself an unlimited work session (or in the case of our example, two hours to finish a minor task), set a timer for 25 or 45 minutes and commit to working with total focus during that time. Don’t skip the timer.
You’ll get more focused work done in two 25-minute or one 45-minute sprint than if you gave yourself the full two hours without focus or a timer.
If you still have momentum when the timer runs out, keep working. But if you’re starting to lose focus, take a 5-10 minute break. Use a timer for the break, too. Then you can start another timed and focused work sprint.
Why this works: Urgency is a primary ingredient in motivation. By shrinking the time you give yourself to do the work and setting a timer, you create urgency. This forces you to work faster and with more concentration.
3. Add Artificial Urgency with External Pressure
Speaking of urgency and motivation, Parkinson’s Law is the reason most students pull all-nighters. Waiting until the last possible moment before the deadline forces concentration. While this sounds good, it also creates stress, low-quality work, and sleep deprivation.
The solution is to add artificial urgency with accountability.
Here’s how: Give yourself a deadline before the real one and make sure someone else knows about it. Even better, ask them to check in on you. In other words, make your deadlines public by telling someone what you’re working on and when you’ll be done with it.
Examples:
- “I’m finishing this essay by 6:00 PM. Ask me if I did it.”
- “I’ll be done with these problem sets by 3:30 — text me to make sure I did it.”
- “I’ll call you at 7:00 to tell you I’m done with my draft.”
Unlike setting your own deadline (Tip #1), this strategy relies on external accountability to keep you focused on your artificial deadline. When other people expect you to finish by a certain time, your brain takes the deadline more seriously because you don’t want to let the other person down — and Parkinson’s Law kicks in without the last-minute stress of meeting a real deadline.
4. Remove Distractions
Decreasing your work time only works if you’re actually working during that time. If you get distracted, Parkinson’s Law will still apply, but not in a good way: instead of speeding up your work, it’ll expand the time you spend not working.
Before you start a focused sprint (Tip #2), remove all potential distractions from your workspace. Get serious about this step. It’s not enough to say “I won’t look at my phone.” You have to actually remove the phone from your line of sight.
Are you working in a loud environment surrounded by your friends? Remove your friends or change your workspace.
Do you have YouTube and Reddit tabs open at the top of your computer? Serious question – why? If you’re sitting down to work, why would you sabotage yourself with nonsense? Get rid of distractions.
Think about it this way: If you try to implement Tip #1 by telling yourself you only have 60 minutes to finish a task, but you spend 30 of those minutes checking your phone, you’ve just expanded the task right back to its original length. Self-sabotage.
The less interference, the better Parkinson’s Law works in your favor.
If you really struggle with focus, try these focus tips.
Your Step-by-Step Guide to Finishing Schoolwork Faster with Parkinson’s Law
- Estimate the real time needed – Be honest: Do you really need 2 hours to complete 10 math questions? Estimating time can be tough, especially if you have ADHD. You can get better at this by actually timing yourself completing certain kinds of assignments. (You’d time yourself including the distractions, breaks, and zone-outs.)
- Cut that estimate in half – Give yourself an ambitious but reasonable time cap. If you estimated two hours to complete 10 math questions, give yourself one hour.
- Set a timer – Try the Pomodoro Technique (25-minute sprints, followed by a 5-minute break). The magic is in the timer. Don’t use the timer on your phone, or you’ll be setting yourself up for distractions. Use a timer on the computer, this cube timer or a microwave if you’re working in a kitchen.
- Work with intensity – Remove distractions. Lock it in. Get it done.
- Evaluate – Did you finish? If not, why? Were you distracted? Did your environment work for you? Were your time estimations reasonable? How did you feel? Adjust for next time.
When Parkinson’s Law Doesn’t Work
Manipulating Parkinson’s Law to work in your favor is an effective strategy in many scenarios. But there are limitations to every strategy I teach. The real strategy is to know when to apply the techniques I teach, and when to use something else.
Using Parkinson’s Law to shrink the amount of time a task takes does not work on:
1. Projects that genuinely require deep concentration. Example: Writing a complex analysis of a philosophical argument involving deep critical thinking and logic.
2. Projects whose successful completion depends on the passage of time. Example: Memorizing a speech over a period of several days, which is a necessary part of memorization. (Future read: How to Memorize Information)
3. Projects that cause you to make careless mistakes when you try to reduce the amount of time it takes to complete them. Example: Rushing through a physical lab experiment that requires precise measurements.
Conclusion
Knowing how Parkinson’s Law can work for you or against you is important. Understanding this phenomenon is the key to using it to get schoolwork done faster. Setting earlier deadlines, working in short sprints, using outside accountability, and removing distractions can all improve how well Parkinson’s Law works for you.
My challenge to you: Pick one assignment that’s due in the next week and give yourself half the usual time to complete it. For real – try this. If it works, then you know Parkinson’s Law has been working against you up until now. Time for a change.