Parkinson’s law states that “work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” This law was framed by Cyril Northcote Parkinson, a celebrated British author and historian. What this law tries to tell us is that if work was meant to be completed in a week, then it will be completed in a week. In this regard, people plan their deadlines based on the time that they have.
Interestingly, this is what happens to most people when they have tasks to complete. If they have ample time to complete activities, they will procrastinate until the last minute. This is a habit that most people develop forgetting the fact that it has a negative impact on their productivity.
An ideal way of utilizing the mental model is by realizing the effects of allowing deadlines to catch up with you. Usually, this builds pressure on you more so when you have fixed deadlines to beat. Therefore, to be on the safe side, you ought to embrace the idea of incorporating micro-deadlines to your activities. Set small goals that you can achieve within a short timeframe. Achieving these small goals will keep you motivated on completing a particular project. The best part is that it will help you avoid the urge to procrastinate. So, instead of waiting for deadlines to catch up with you, start now.
