A night last week, my wonderful partner informed me at the last minute that one of our friends was popping by for Chinese at 8 p.m. What a lovely surprise! I adore this friend and was excited to see them, but as a busy mum to a toddler, the timing was everything. My little one had just gone to bed at 7:30 p.m., and I came downstairs to find out about our impromptu dinner plans!
Cue the last-minute cleaning dash. In a 30-minute whirlwind, the house got a complete overhaul—the bathroom was cleaned, the toilet bleached, dishes done, and toys tidied away. This is not something I’d typically be able to pull off on a regular Thursday evening.
But here’s the thing: when there’s a set deadline or motivation to complete a task by a certain time, it’s amazing what you can accomplish. This phenomenon is actually reflected in Parkinson’s Law, which states, “Work expands to fill the time available for its completion.” In other words, if you give yourself an hour, the task will take an hour. But if you only have 30 minutes, suddenly you find yourself working at full speed to get everything done within that window.
This idea is why I advocate for P.A.W. (Productivity Accountability Weekly) meetings. The idea behind P.A.W. is simple: having regular, structured check-ins motivates people to complete their tasks before each meeting. The accountability helps your team focus, put in that last-minute burst of effort, and move projects forward faster.
With a clear deadline, like knowing you’ll need to update the team in a P.A.W. meeting, people are more likely to push through and get things done. This kind of momentum can create real progress, week after week.
So if you are looking to build momentum in your Canine Business or just need that little bit of extra motivation, set yourself and your team clear deadlines and watch the power of Parkinson’s Law play out.