---
title: Parkinson’s Law
created: 2025-01-23T10:40:57
modified: 2025-08-29T08:03:14
---

![](../_attachments/3cae3b161fe3ae13dcc2ba6fadeceb34.png)

![](../_attachments/c5858ead999f8dee04986db697ff2ffd.png)

![](../_attachments/7fc3f3e4733564ea43dfed18131d141b.png)

# How To Overcome It?

* Give yourself just _a little less time_ than you think you need for every task
* Fixed Schedule
	* Always demand an artificial deadline [^1] for everything you do (with a timer)

# **Why It works?**

Enforcing constraint such as time limits, creates a sense of urgency that helps to concentrate efforts

# [Related](https://sketchplanations.com/laws-of-expansion)

* Stuff expands to fill the available space
* Cost expands to fill the available budget

[^1]: If failing to do a task by a certain date has serious repercussions, then it should have a “_due date (hard deadline)_”. Otherwise, it shouldn’t.