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title: Parkinson's Law - How Work Fills Time Available
date: 2025-09-17T00:00:00
author: Charlie M.
category: SIGNAL
---
So this morning, I was sitting in the kitchen, staring at the sunlight streaming through the window, thinking about how I have way too many bookmarks saved on my phone. One of them was about Parkinson’s Law. You know, the whole thing where work expands to fill the time available for its completion. Sounds so official, right? But also, I wonder, is that really true? Like, how does that even work? And why can’t I just get things done faster if I have more time?
Every time I think about this, I go back to those mornings when I just stare at my phone, scrolling Instagram while drinking my cold brew. Hours slip away, and I feel like I'm drowning in memes and influencers. I wonder if this is Parkinson’s Law in action. I mean, I start with just a quick look, thinking it'll be five minutes, but then—poof!—an hour's gone. But also, let’s be real, is it really just about the time available? Maybe it’s because I’m avoiding something. Like, avoiding work or just life stuff. But I guess those are things everyone does. Or do they?
There are studies on this too, I think... I remember reading something about it. Like, maybe Cyril Northcote Parkinson said something back in the '50s. He supposedly came up with this idea from observing how busy people in government departments always seemed to fill their day, no matter how much work they actually had. Sounds kind of scientific... but also not? Sounds more like an observation than science. Can you even test that? And somehow, it relates to me sitting here with a couple of things to complete and not doing any of them. Maybe I need to delete my apps again—I’ve done it before, but somehow they sneak back.
It reminds me of when I tried scheduling my day down to the minute, thinking I’d become this productivity machine. But instead, I just ended up feeling anxious, and frankly, the laundry didn’t fold itself just because I blocked out time for it. So, maybe it doesn’t work like that. But then again, am I just bad at sticking to schedules? Do I need more structure or less? I don't know.
And then I think about the time I attempted to train for this half marathon. I’d plan these long runs, say three hours, but I’d just end up taking my sweet time getting out the door, and somehow it still took the full three hours even if I actually ran for less than two. It's like, did I really need all that time? Or did I just expand the running event to fit it? Maybe I was procrastinating warming up or looking for the perfect playlist. Sound familiar?
But yeah, I can’t help think about whether Parkinson’s Law is just another one of those “sounds right” theories that explains away my inability to focus. Is it just modern life, or am I really just giving myself too much time to do things that don't need it? I feel like I should know the answer by now, but I don’t. Am I missing something, or is there no real answer?
So, here I am again, with a few hours left in the day and things left unchecked on my list. Maybe I'll take another stab at planning my time better, or maybe I'll just end up scrolling Instagram again. Maybe both? I don’t know. Time to figure it out some other day, I guess.