Stock-Sanford Corollary

Overview

The Stock-Sanford Corollary is the best known corollary to Parkinson's Law. It states: 'If you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute to do.'

Relationship to Parkinson's Law

While Parkinson's Law states that 'work expands to fill the time available for its completion,' the Stock-Sanford Corollary represents a related observation about how work can also contract dramatically when time pressure is extreme.

Important Caveat

This corollary can be misunderstood as an encouragement for procrastination. However, it's more accurately an observation about:

• How deadlines focus our attention
• The elimination of perfectionism under time pressure
• The ability to complete tasks more quickly when absolutely necessary

Horstman's Corollary

A related principle is Horstman's Corollary to Parkinson's Law: 'Work contracts to fit in the time we give it.' This represents the deliberate application of time constraints to increase efficiency.

Practical Application

Taking a task you think will take 4 hours and only allocating 2 hours to it will likely result in completing the task under 2 hours, as the constraint forces you to work more efficiently and avoid perfectionism.

Time Management Implications

Strategic Deadline Setting

Understanding these corollaries allows for strategic use of deadlines to:

• Increase focus and eliminate distractions
• Reduce time spent on low-value refinements
• Combat perfectionism paralysis
• Improve overall productivity

Risks

However, consistently relying on last-minute work can lead to:

• Increased stress and burnout
• Lower quality output
• Missed deadlines when unexpected issues arise
• Reduced time for revision and improvement

Balance

The key is finding the balance between using time constraints productively (Horstman's approach) without falling into chronic procrastination (Stock-Sanford trap).