If you end the workday at a certain time, you will work more efficiently throughout the day.
Research consistently shows that the more hours we work, the less productive we become. Need proof? The graph below put together by The Economist shows the stark negative correlation between hours worked and productivity per hour in OECD countries between 1990 and 2012.
So where are all those extra hours going? Parkinson's Law states that work expands to fit the amount of time allotted to it. For example, if you have 2 days to finish a task, it will take 2 days to finish. If you only give yourself 2 hours to finish the same task, it will take 2 hours.
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Parkinson's Law
It states that work expands to fit the amount of time allotted to it.
For example, if you have 2 days to finish a task, it will take 2 days to finish. If you only give yourself 2 hours to finish the same task, it will take 2 hours.
Time pressure and procrastination
Leaving a task to the last minute may makes us feel like we are working faster to complete the task. However, it does not mean we work better.
Time pressure generally impairs performance because it limits thought and action. Parkinson's law suggests that "work expands so as to fill th...
We don't need to work so hard
Luminaries such as Charles Dickens, Gabriel García Márquez, and Charles Darwin worked for five hours a day or less. In truth, work expands to fill the time allotted. Most of us could spend fewer hours at the office and do the same amount of work.
Taking the time to be unproductive...
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