5 life laws that everyone has to deal with
The new week has just started, and therefore I am sharing a number of handy life laws with which you can get through the rest of the week more easily. Yesterday was another typical Monday, where Murphy's Law came into play again. After a very bad night, I could barely get out of bed, only to find myself standing in front of a closed door at my favorite coffee shop, and then my bike was nowhere to be found, causing me to be late. Not world problems, but still, not a great start to the day. But that wasn't all; once at the office: laptop charger left at home, important files missing, and I had actually forgotten my entire concentration. Long story short: it didn't go smoothly at all. You can read more about this law below.
1. Murphy’s Law
Murphy's Law states: ‘Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong.’ This pessimistic law was developed by Edward A. Murphy, an American aerospace engineer. The law assumes that when one thing goes wrong on a day, everything on that day will go wrong, starting from the moment my alarm goes off.
How to deal with this law?
Take it, accept it, and move on. You just have to accept this. Things can go wrong, especially on Mondays. Worrying about it is pointless; tomorrow is a new day.
2. Parkinson’s Law
This law was formulated by British naval historian Cyril Northcote Parkinson (1958) and states: ‘Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.’ The law suggests that a task takes as long as you allocate time for it. In other words: the more time we have available to complete a task, the longer it takes.
How to deal with this law?
This is actually exactly the reason why I perform best under pressure. Give me months to do something, and I will still start the day before. So set reasonable and realistic deadlines for yourself, so you don't have to spend unnecessary time on a task. Be strict with yourself and determine in advance how long the task will take, while of course staying a bit realistic.
3. Carlson’s Law
Carlson's Law was conceived by Swedish economist Sune Carlson, who firmly believes that you can perform a task better in one go than by working on it bit by bit. Although you sometimes really feel that you are good at multitasking, Carlson believes that it takes less productive time and energy when you just push through. Often we are interrupted during a task by our phone, emails, colleagues, or other external influences. That is the culprit, according to Carlson.
How to deal with this law?
Interruptions disrupt your productivity, so we need to try to minimize them as much as possible. For example, put your phone away for a few hours, check your email at fixed times of the day, and avoid distractions.
4. Illich’s Law
Illich's Law (1980) was conceived by Croatian-Austrian philosopher Ivan Illich. He states that our productivity significantly decreases after a certain number of working hours, and when we go beyond this point, efficiency is lost, and we can even make mistakes in our work. Illich therefore suggests that alternating work and rest is the best way to prevent fatigue. If we spend 90 minutes on a task, our attention and effectiveness decrease. The more we try to keep going, the less well we perform.
How to deal with this law?
Learn to take breaks. Take a real lunch break in the afternoon, not behind your laptop. Go outside alone or with a colleague to eat or walk. Your brain really needs this break to be productive again. So if you can't finish a task, stop worrying and take a break.
5. Laborit’s Law
According to Henri Laborit, a French surgeon and neurobiologist, it is human nature to first do what makes us happy. At work, our instinct also makes us try to avoid stress and seek the most comfortable situation possible. In other words: we procrastinate and push unpleasant tasks as far away as possible. This law is also known as: ‘The Law of the Least Effort.’ We prefer easier tasks that give us immediate satisfaction. The consequence of this is, of course, that the list of unpleasant tasks keeps getting longer.
How to deal with this law?
Start your workday with the hardest and most unpleasant task. The longer you work, the less productive you become. Reward yourself immediately after this is done with a coffee or a lot of cake, then your day will really start well. Ultimately, you will become happier from this.
