Work smarter, not harder

Parkinson’s Law: What it means

Definition: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

If you give yourself 1 day to finish an essay, you’ll finish in 1 day. If you give yourself 1 week for the same essay, it will mysteriously stretch to take the whole week.

The law highlights human tendency to use up all allocated time, even if the task could have been done faster.

Historical perspective

1. Northcote Parkinson, a British naval historian and author, coined this idea in 1955 in an essay published in The Economist.

Parkinson observed in British bureaucracy that despite declining work, the number of officials kept growing. His satirical observation turned into a serious productivity principle:

• More resources (time, money, manpower) → more inefficiency
• Constraints (limited time/resources) → sharper focus, better results

How Parkinson’s Law helps in time management

1. Avoids procrastination → Shorter deadlines reduce the tendency to delay.
2. Sharpens focus → With less time, distractions are cut down.
3. Boosts efficiency → Forces prioritisation of essential tasks.
4. Prevents burnout → You finish earlier and free time for rest or other pursuits.

How to implement Parkinson’s Law in life

• Set artificial deadlines shorter than the actual due date
• Time-boxing: Allocate fixed time slots for tasks (e.g., 2 hours for revision, not “whole day”)
• Break big goals into small deadlines → creates urgency and momentum
• Accountability: Tell someone your deadline or use apps that track progress

Parkinson’s Law for Civil Services preparation

Civil services exam is a marathon, not a sprint, so aspirants must balance hard work with smart work. Here’s how the law applies:

Smart work with Parkinson’s Law:

Limit study hours per subject → Don’t read one topic endlessly; set a time cap (e.g., Polity: 2 hours daily).

Answer writing practice → Set a 7-8 min limit per mains question (instead of writing elaborate essays each time).

Mock tests → Simulate actual exam constraints; practice completing within exact time.

Revision cycles → Fix short revision windows (e.g., 1 day for entire Modern History instead of dragging for 4-5 days).

Focus on core material → Limited time forces you to revise NCERT standard books thoroughly, instead of hoarding 10 extra sources.

Key takeaways

Smart Work > Hard Work: Short deadlines = sharper focus better productivity

For an aspirant, this means instead of slogging 12-14 hours a day without structure, you can study 7-8 focused hours with strict time blocks and achieve better results.