Parkinson’s Law states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. The adage was named for Cyril Northcote Parkinson, who first described the phenomenon in a 1955 humor essay published in “The Economist.”
Parkinson’s Law is not really a law but is an observation of a phenomenon that many people have experienced. The amount of work required for a task increases to consume any amount of time that may be allotted to it. In other words, things become harder to complete when more time is given and the build-up to the task becomes stressful and daunting.
An extension is often added to Parkinson’s Law: “The reverse is not true.” Parkinson’s Law should not be used to set unreasonable deadlines. Inadequate deadlines can cause procrastination and spending too much time on trivial matters.
In teams, or with individual projects, the time and resources actually used in the completion of the task balloon to the amounts allocated. Be aware of the potential for this inefficiency.