What if I tell you that your entire student life, you’ve been governed by one royal rule that you’ve been unmindful of: The Parkinson’s Law. Northcote Parkinson said it best when he proclaimed that work expands to fill the time available for it. Walk down the academic memory lane and recall the times when you’ve accomplished massive tasks at the eleventh hour in record time, at speeds that warranted awards. Au contraire, you’ll also be able to recall ridiculously easy assignments that you dragged out for months only to turn them in at the last second. Culturals, sports and PoRs hover around the academic clock, which is a struggle bus that plays tug-of-war between short bursts of motivation fueled by ticking time and the fervent panic of procrastination humming an ever-present jarring cacophony.
The best testimony to Parkinson’s brainchild stems from deadline extensions: ever noticed how work contracted when you had to submit it by EOD? Then crawls in the bittersweet email, a package that leaves you both relieved and frustrated, with a ‘Deadline extended until next week’, and you feel momentum folding its hands, sulking in the corner and retiring for the day. Or maybe the whole week until ‘EOD’ rears its ugly head once again. I’ve always wanted to break free from being enslaved by a deadline. In my second semester, I remember turning in a term paper three months in advance, just because. And that set me free. It led me to stay on a self-driven schedule, which is crucial, especially for a research program, where discipline no longer feels like a constraint but lets you savor the liberty of working on your own terms.
I recently had to write a review article that would entail critical reviews of 70 research papers, a project my friends suggested would take me at least three to four months. I thought of a fun, entirely bizarre experiment, to just go ‘all-guns-blazing’ for a week and see how far it took me. Despite three rest days, I wrapped up 30 research papers- reading, highlighting key points, note-making and writing the review- within the other four days. Instead of cozying up under the snuggle of weighted blankets, I set up my study table the night before and woke up at 4.30 a.m. with a list of micro goals to check off.
All of a sudden, I became the person the task needed me to be. Instead of being the self-critical taskmaster I usually am, I was suddenly a gentle, nurturing friend to myself. Not only was I productive, but I also had fun, pushing myself and living up to my potential. My review was on art, and I enjoyed reading about topics that ranged from internet memes and children’s drawings to Coldplay’s music and medical clowning. I applied the three-second rule -count to three and get to work- to quit overthinking, rise up to the occasion and get things done. During the workday, what also helped me was to just think of the next thing I could do – one research paper imposes a less menacing workload than the seemingly Herculean seventy. Cucumbers and ice at the ready during breaks, I was all prepared. The breaks also became more meaningful, and I filled them with activities I truly enjoy. I savored the rare relish of guilt-free rest.
The contrast between the rest days and the work days taught me that my approach sported a cognitive error, an all-or-nothing way of doing things: I’d either study to the point of exhaustion or take the entire day off. I realized I could modify my approach to sustain momentum by working shorter hours but showing up daily. This would also keep burnout at bay. Now, the goal of this article is not to condone a culture of toxic productivity, which is defined by the exhausting rat race where, even when no one’s going anywhere, everyone’s expected to keep going, somewhere. But the magic of Parkinson’s law is that there is another way to live, beyond the bounds of other-imposed deadlines, by undertaking self-guided joyful journeys dictated by your own time, pace and convenience. This goes beyond the world of academia to all the directions we’re pulled in, be it passion projects, fitness routines or social hangouts. Living intentionally and being deliberate with time is the first step towards a well-lived life.
Edited by: Eshani Bhattacharjee| Design by: Garima Satpuri
Article 19 