I’ve been learning full-stack development for a while now.
Between tutorials, projects, and those never-ending debugging sessions, I started noticing something interesting — no matter how much time I give myself for a task, it somehow always takes exactly that long.
Then I came across a video by @manuarora on YouTube where he talked about Parkinson’s Law, and it instantly clicked for me.
I’m really thankful to him for sharing that insight — it completely changed how I look at time, focus, and productivity.
So, what’s Parkinson’s Law?
It’s a simple but powerful idea that says:
“Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.”
Basically, if you give yourself two hours for a task, you’ll take two hours. If you give yourself two days, you’ll take two days.
And honestly, as engineers or future engineers, this is something we should all try to understand and apply.
How I Noticed It While Learning to Code
When I first started, I used to block entire weekends just to “work on a project.” I thought more time meant better results.
But here’s what really happened:
- I’d spend forever choosing the perfect tech stack.
- Then I’d tweak the UI endlessly.
- And by the end, I’d realize I hadn’t built much at all.
Later, I tried something different — giving myself smaller, focused deadlines like “build the API route in one hour” or “fix this bug before lunch.”
And somehow, I finished faster and with better focus.
That’s when I truly understood Parkinson’s Law.
Why It Matters for Developers
As developers or learners, it’s easy to think, “I just need more time.”
But often, more time just means more distractions — extra scrolling, more perfectionism, and less progress.
When we limit our time, we naturally prioritize what’s important. We stop overthinking and start building.
How I’m Trying to Beat Parkinson’s Law
Here are a few small things that help me apply it in my learning journey:
Set tighter deadlines.
If something feels like a 4-hour task, I give myself 2. That time pressure makes me focus better.Use a timer.
Using Timer apps or even just a simple stopwatch helps me stay on track and avoid distractions.Don’t chase perfection at first.
Get it working, then refine it later. Perfect code is useless if it’s never finished.Celebrate small wins.
Even finishing a small component or fixing one bug is progress.
My Takeaway
Learning full-stack development isn’t just about coding — it’s also about managing your mindset and your time.
Parkinson’s Law reminded me that more time doesn’t always mean more work — sometimes it means more delay.
Thanks to @manuarora, I’ve started thinking differently about how I plan my coding sessions.
As engineers, we should all try implementing this mindset — because when we manage our time better, we build better.
So next time you’re stuck or procrastinating, just ask yourself:
“What if I had to finish this in the next hour?”
You’ll be amazed by what you can actually get done.
-- Prakash ⚡