--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Parkinson's First Law: Work expands to…" description: "\"Parkinson's First Law: Work expands to fill the time available.\" — C. Northcote Parkinson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55a/c-northcote-parkinson-16739_available_parkinson-s-first-law-work-expands-to-fi_126894.jpg" --- # Parkinson's First Law: Work expands to fill the time… ![“Parkinson's First Law: Work expands to fill the time available.” quote by C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55a/c-northcote-parkinson-16739_available_parkinson-s-first-law-work-expands-to-fi_126894.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55a/c-northcote-parkinson-16739_available_parkinson-s-first-law-work-expands-to-fi_126894.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/55a/c-northcote-parkinson-16739_available_parkinson-s-first-law-work-expands-to-fi_126894.jpg) > “Parkinson's First Law: Work expands to fill the time available.” [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Work expands to fill the time allocated, leading to inefficiency if not managed. **In simple terms:** Work stretches to fill available time. Key Takeaway Set tighter deadlines to improve efficiency. Themes productivity time management efficiency Mood pragmatic reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - project planning - daily tasks Key Concepts organizational behavior psychology Practical Applications - use time blocks - limit scope Questions to Reflect On - How much time is truly needed for a task? - What limits prevent work from expanding? A Different Perspective Too tight deadlines can cause stress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parkinson/) [Parkinson 's](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parkinson-s/) [Recreation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/recreation/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) ## Related quotes > [“Parkinson’s law. This law states that "work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-zahariades/parkinson-s-law-this-law-states-that-work-expands-so-as-to-fill-the/) [Damon Zahariades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-zahariades/) > [“Work expands to fill the time available for its completion,” still known as Parkinson’s Law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/work-expands-to-fill-the-time-available-for-its-completion-still/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Parkinson's Law is a purely scientific discovery, inapplicable except in theory to the politics of the day. It is not the business of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/parkinson-s-law-is-a-purely-scientific-discovery-inapplicable-except/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. General recognition of this fact is shown in the proverbial phrase "It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/work-expands-so-as-to-fill-the-time-available-for-its-completion-2/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/work-expands-so-as-to-fill-the-time-available-for-its-completion/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [Parkinson's Fourth Law: The number of people in any working group tends to increase regardless of the amount of work to be done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/parkinson-s-fourth-law-the-number-of-people-in-any-working-group/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [“work expands to whatever time you give it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mel-robbins/work-expands-to-whatever-time-you-give-it/) [Mel Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mel-robbins/) > [The nice thing about standards is, there are so many to choose from. Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/the-nice-thing-about-standards-is-there-are-so-many-to-choose-from/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [I regard music therapy as a tool of great power in many neurological disorders -- Parkinson's and Alzheimer's -- because of its unique capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/i-regard-music-therapy-as-a-tool-of-great-power-in-many-neurological/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [So what I say about Tracy is this: Tracy's big challenge is not having a Parkinson's patient for a husband. It's having me for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/so-what-i-say-about-tracy-is-this-tracy-s-big-challenge-is-not-having/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [I have no choice about whether or not I have Parkinson's. I have nothing but choices about how I react to it. In those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/i-have-no-choice-about-whether-or-not-i-have-parkinson-s-i-have/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [Parkinson's is my toughest fight. No, it doesn't hurt. It's hard to explain. I'm being tested to see if I'll keep praying, to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/parkinson-s-is-my-toughest-fight-no-it-doesn-t-hurt-it-s-hard-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [With Parkinson's, it's like you're in the middle of the street and you're stuck there in cement shoes and you know a bus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/with-parkinson-s-it-s-like-you-re-in-the-middle-of-the-street-and-you/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) > [Near the end of his life, my father proved to be, at his core, a very polite, chivalrous man. He walked the halls of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-l-knox/near-the-end-of-his-life-my-father-proved-to-be-at-his-core-a-very/) Jennifer L. Knox > [If you asked my kids to describe me, they'd go through a whole list of words before even thinking about Parkinson's. And honestly, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-j-fox/if-you-asked-my-kids-to-describe-me-they-d-go-through-a-whole-list-of/) [Michael J. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-j-fox/) ## More by C. Northcote Parkinson > [In the foundation and development of a successful enterprise there must be a single-minded pursuit of financial profit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/in-the-foundation-and-development-of-a-successful-enterprise-there/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [The mind reels at the multiplication of books intended to justify the author's promotion from assistant to associate professor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/the-mind-reels-at-the-multiplication-of-books-intended-to-justify-the/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [Expenditures rise to meet income.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/expenditures-rise-to-meet-income/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [Time spent on any item of the agenda will be in inverse proportion to the sum involved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/time-spent-on-any-item-of-the-agenda-will-be-in-inverse-proportion-to/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [It is the busiest man who has time to spare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/it-is-the-busiest-man-who-has-time-to-spare/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [It is now well known, however, that men enter local politics solely as a result of being unhappily married.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/it-is-now-well-known-however-that-men-enter-local-politics-solely-as/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [Administrators make work for each other so that they can multiply the number of their subordinates and enhance their prestige.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/administrators-make-work-for-each-other-so-that-they-can-multiply-the/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [People of great ability do not emerge, as a rule, from the happiest background. So far as my own observation goes, I would conclude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/people-of-great-ability-do-not-emerge-as-a-rule-from-the-happiest/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [No king or minister could have instructed Newton to discover the law of gravity, for they did not know and could not know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/no-king-or-minister-could-have-instructed-newton-to-discover-the-law/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [A committee grows organically, flourishes and blossoms, sunlit on top and shady beneath, until it dies, scattering the seeds from which other committees will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/a-committee-grows-organically-flourishes-and-blossoms-sunlit-on-top/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [Deliberative bodies become decreasingly effective after they pass five to eight members.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/deliberative-bodies-become-decreasingly-effective-after-they-pass/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [Perfection of planned layout is achieved only by institutions on the point of collapse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/perfection-of-planned-layout-is-achieved-only-by-institutions-on-the/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [Parkinson's Law is a purely scientific discovery, inapplicable except in theory to the politics of the day. It is not the business of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/parkinson-s-law-is-a-purely-scientific-discovery-inapplicable-except/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/work-expands-so-as-to-fill-the-time-available-for-its-completion/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) > [The basic quality for the diplomat is not intelligence but loyalty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-northcote-parkinson/the-basic-quality-for-the-diplomat-is-not-intelligence-but-loyalty/) [C. Northcote Parkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) [Explore all 39 C. Northcote Parkinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-northcote-parkinson/) ## More Available quotes > [I wrote when I was a young teen, but I didn't put an eye on the available markets until I was seventeen. 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I work long hours. I have a dog and a wife. There's not a lot of available time for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ira-glass/i-m-in-production-year-round-i-work-long-hours-i-have-a-dog-and-a/) [Ira Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ira-glass/) Browse all 2,134 Available quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Parkinson's First Law: Work expands to fill the time available.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C. 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