The ‘law’ that explains why you can’t get anything done

The ‘law’ that explains why you can’t get anything done

Ever wondered why your to-do list seems endless, no matter how hard you work? Uncover the intriguing law that might be the culprit behind your productivity woes and learn how to turn the tide in your favor.

Parkinson’s Law

“It is a commonplace observation that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”

The Planning Fallacy

A cognitive quirk called the planning fallacy leads us to consistently underestimate how long it will take us to complete a project

In IT, surveys suggest that fewer than one third of projects meet their initial deadline

One theory is that the planning fallacy arises from our broader tendency to focus on fine details of a scenario, rather than the big picture

When you have a deadline it’s like a storm ahead of you or having a truck around the corner. It’s menacing and it’s approaching, so you focus heavily on the task

Eldar Shafir Parkinson

The planning fallacy can explain why even our best attempts at time management can sometimes backfire

We often look only for the evidence that suits our goals, leading us to ignore or dismiss clues that it might take longer

People like to say if it wasn’t for the last minute, nothing would get done. But research shows people’s productivity is not linear

To optimize productivity, you need to maximize benefits and minimize costs

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