Parkinson’s Law

By Ron Pereira Updated on July 1st, 2007

I am on page 75 of “The 4-Hour Workweek.” The jury is still out on whether this book is total bull pucky or border line genius. Here is an excerpt explaining an interesting time management concept.

Parkinson’s Law dictates that a task will swell in (perceived) importance and complexity in relation to the time allotted for its completion. It is the magic of the imminent deadline. If I give you 24 hours to complete a project, the time pressure forces you to focus on execution, and you have no choice but to do only the bare essentials. If I give you a week to complete the same task, it’s six days of making a mountain out of a molehill. If I give you two months, God forbid, it becomes a mental monster. The end product of the shorter deadline is almost inevitably of equal or higher quality due to greater focus.

Stay tuned for a full review in the near future.

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Ron Pereira

Ron has more than 20 years of experience in various manufacturing, supply chain, and senior leadership roles. Ron has held the titles of process engineer, engineering manager, master black belt, and director of manufacturing & continuous improvement. In 2002 Ron was the first American to win the Nokia Global Six Sigma and Overall Quality award in Helsinki, Finland. Ron holds a bachelor's degree in automated manufacturing and an MBA in technology management.

Rolf F. Katzenberger
July 1, 2007 - 3:10 pm
Reply

“‘…The end product of the shorter deadline is almost inevitably of equal or higher quality due to greater focus.’

Stay tuned for a full review in the near future.
”

Was that by intention? 😉
Ron Pereira
July 1, 2007 - 3:57 pm
Reply

No pun intended. But interesting you caught that as I sure didn’t. Maybe I am on my way to a 4 hour work week after all.
Martin Leonard
October 29, 2007 - 9:23 am
Reply

‘you have no choice but to do only the bare essentials’… I call that the ‘priority pressure’. Look forward to the full review =)