Work expands to fill the time available for its completion

1. A proverb coined by the twentieth-century British scholar C. Northcote Parkinson, known as Parkinson's Law. It points out that people usually take all the time allotted (and frequently more) to accomplish any task.

Example Sentences

According to Parkinson’s Law, work expands to fill the time available for its completion.

From Time

“The holidays are an opportunity to watch Parkinson’s Law in action – that is, work expands to fill the time available for its completion. Our team shares a similar vacation schedule and it is very clear what needs to be accomplished before we all depart. So given clear time constraints and the added incentive of getting to spend time with family and friends, work seems to actually be accomplished more effectively than usual. Call it Parkinson’s Law, I call it a Christmas miracle.”

From Forbes