A corollary to Parkinson's Law stating 'work contracts to fit in the time we give it,' suggesting that setting tighter deadlines can increase efficiency by forcing elimination of low-value activities and perfectionism.
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Horstman's Corollary to Parkinson's Law states: 'Work contracts to fit in the time we give it.' This represents the reverse application of Parkinson's Law, suggesting that deliberately constraining time can increase productivity.
While Parkinson's Law observes that work expands to fill available time, Horstman's Corollary demonstrates that work will also contract when given less time. This means 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.
When faced with tighter time constraints, people naturally:
Strategically setting shorter deadlines can:
Research shows that when people face scarcity, they give themselves the freedom to use resources in less conventional ways. Time constraints can actually make you more creative.
Unlike the Stock-Sanford Corollary ('if you wait until the last minute, it only takes a minute'), Horstman's Corollary involves intentional time constraint setting rather than waiting until the last moment.