Parkinson’s Law Will Revolutionize How You Make Music

I recently stumbled upon something that has changed how I work and make music. It’s called Parkinson’s Law.

And it’s my new favorite productivity hack.

As a part-time musician, I like being as productive as possible with the little free time I have.

So I want to share this rule with you.

Here’s what I’ll cover:

• What Is Parkinson’s Law?
• Why Parkinson’s Law Changes Everything For Part-Time Musicians
• How To Use Parkinson’s Law To Make Music
  • Songwriting
  • Producing
  • Performing
  • Teaching
• The Main Takeaway

What Is Parkinson’s Law?

Parkinson’s Law is this: work expands to fit the time allotted.

Let me give you an example.

I’m a self-employed copywriter by day. I also get very distracted when trying to write copy for my clients.

Why?

Because many times, I’m writing content that’s not super interesting. I mean, it can be interesting. But it’s often not music-related.

So…I set “office hours” for myself. I might say to myself, “Okay, I need to get these three things done in the next six hours.”

And when I do that, I become more focused and I get more stuff done. 

I know I only have a certain amount of time to do what I need to do. I’m on a deadline. The clock is ticking. 

If I gave myself nine hours to do the same amount of work, I’d move slower because I’d know subconsciously I have more time. 

I’d be on Facebook more. I’d be more likely to read some random article. And I’d probably check my email about 931 times. 

My work would expand to fit inside that nine-hour box.

But if the time allotted is only six hours, the work would expand just to the edges of that smaller, six-hour box.

Meaning I can get the same amount of work done in less time.

Why Parkinson’s Law Changes Everything For Part-Time Musicians

You may already see where I’m going with this. 

Part-time musicians often lack the time they need to do all the things they want to do.

We usually feel like we don’t have enough time to actually make any progress in our music endeavors.

Enter Parkinson’s Law.

Using this law, you can turn your “music time” into “super focused music time.” You can take bigger baby steps.

That 30 minutes of songwriting you do before work becomes much more productive.

You’ll be able to email more music industry people on your lunch break.

Your practice sessions will be more like practice sessions and less like noodling-on-your-instrument sessions.

So how do you implement Parkinson’s Law as a musician with little time?

Good question…

How To Use Parkinson’s Law To Make Music

If you feel like time runs away from you, here are some practical ways to catch it and make better use of it using Parkinson’s Law.

Songwriting

I usually do songwriting in the morning before I start work. Ideally, I get up at 5:15 a.m., get coffee, and start writing at 5:30.

Not only is my time limited because I have to start work, but I also have two kids who get up way too early.

So it’s sort of a built-in Parkinson’s Law.

And when my songwriting time is limited, I’m 100% with it.

Here’s how you can use this law to write songs:

• Find a time in your schedule where you can have at least 10-15 minutes of uninterrupted time
• Set a timer on your phone for however much time you have available
• Fully focus on making progress on your song (don’t worry about finishing it) until that timer goes off

Producing

My time to record music is when my kids have gone to bed.

So I have 1-2 hours at night to record the songs I’ve written (if I want to get to bed on time).

Again, this is sort of a natural implementation of Parkinson’s Law. You may have these times too.

Either way, here’s how to use this law to produce music:

• Find a time when you have at least 30 minutes to an hour free and a quiet house (no kids, pets, loud neighbors, traffic noise, etc)
• Use this online timer to set an alarm on your computer for however much time you have (that way you’ll definitely know when the timer goes off)

Following this rule, you’ll find you don’t waste time trying to make production decisions. You’ll be much more decisive and confident.

Performing

This law applies more so for when you practice for your performances. The quality of your performance is determined by the focus you have during your practice sessions. 

If you’re a performing artist, here’s how you can use this rule:

• Solo artists: set a definitive timeframe for your practice sessions — pretend your booking rehearsal space and you only have it for a certain block of time
• Bands: agree to a certain practice session length and make sure every member is on board — you can even create a contract if that helps

Teaching

If you teach others how to play an instrument, your lessons are already scheduled within a timeframe. But you can make your preparation time more efficient with this law.

Here’s how you can use this law to be a better music teacher:

• Decide how much you want to make on an hourly basis
• Include your prep time in your hourly rate calculations
• Example: if you charge $40 for one-hour lessons and you want to make $20/hour, spend only one hour preparing (2 hours total for $40 = $20/hour)

The Main Takeaway

Here’s my main suggestion for you: try putting a cap on how much time you spend on music.

What?! I barely have any time as it is!

Yeah, I hear you. 

But maybe if you knew you had less time to make music, you’d be more focused and productive. And maybe you’d be happier with the end result.

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