Parkinson's Law states: "Work expands to fill the time available for its completion." Give someone a week to complete a task, and they'll take a week. Give them a day, and they'll finish in a day. Work isn't a fixed quantity—it expands or contracts to fill however much time you allocate.
I've experienced this countless times. Projects that should take hours consume days. Tasks I complete quickly when pressed for time expand to fill leisurely afternoons when I have "plenty of time."
And it raises an uncomfortable question: What happens when you have infinite time? If work expands to fill available time, does eternal life mean eternal procrastination?
The Autistic Time Experience
My autistic time perception makes Parkinson's Law especially relevant. Without external deadlines, I struggle to gauge how long things should take. I either compress obsessively (hyperfocus until completion regardless of time) or expand indefinitely (never starting because there's always tomorrow).
Deadlines provide structure. They force prioritization and initiation. Without them, I drift—not from laziness but from inability to self-structure unlimited time.
This makes eternal life philosophically troubling. If I can't manage unlimited afternoons well, how would I handle unlimited lifetimes?
The Problem of Infinite Time
Some philosophical arguments against immortality hinge on infinite time. Bernard Williams argued that immortal life would become unbearably boring—you'd eventually exhaust all novel experiences and be trapped in eternal tedium.
Parkinson's Law suggests a related problem: with infinite time, would anything ever get done? Why complete tasks today when you have literally forever? Why pursue goals urgently when deadline pressure doesn't exist?
This isn't just hypothetical. People who retire early sometimes struggle with purposelessness—without work deadlines and structure, days expand emptily. Multiply that across eternity, and it seems grim.
The Wrong Picture of Eternity
But I think this misunderstands what Christian eschatology promises. Eternal life isn't infinite time—it's qualitatively different existence.
Scripture describes new creation as active, purposeful, structured. The new heavens and new earth aren't endless vacation but redeemed existence where we "reign forever" (Revelation 22:5), serve God (Revelation 22:3), and engage in renewed creation.
Eternity isn't time without limits; it's life without death. It's not that tasks can be postponed infinitely but that work isn't diminished by futility, decay, or exhaustion.
Futility and Parkinson's Law
Here's a deeper connection: Parkinson's Law might work partly because we unconsciously sense futility. Why rush to complete work when it doesn't ultimately matter? Why finish today what could be tomorrow when tomorrow offers the same meaningless options?
Ecclesiastes captures this: "Meaningless! Meaningless! Everything is meaningless!" (Ecclesiastes 1:2). Under the sun, with death as final horizon, work expands to fill time because there's no ultimate purpose driving urgency.
But resurrection changes this. If work contributes to eternal kingdom, if present actions have ultimate significance, if what we do now matters forever—then urgency returns.
Eschatological Deadlines
"The night is coming when no one can work" (John 9:4). "Now is the day of salvation" (2 Corinthians 6:2). Scripture creates urgency not through Parkinson's Law deadlines but through eschatological significance.
You have limited time not because the clock will run out but because this particular phase of history is unique. You can't evangelize after Christ returns. You can't choose discipleship post-resurrection. You can't develop character through suffering once suffering ends.
This creates genuine urgency without the artificial pressure of Parkinson's Law deadlines. Work doesn't expand to fill time because the available time is uniquely suited to particular work.
The Sabbath Rhythm
Parkinson's Law assumes undifferentiated time—work expands to fill whatever time exists. But Scripture structures time: six days work, one day rest. Work has natural boundaries not because of Parkinson's Law but because of creation order.
Eternal life presumably continues this rhythm—not because we'll need physical rest but because rhythm itself is good. Work and rest, activity and contemplation, creation and appreciation.
This prevents the Parkinson's Law problem. Work doesn't expand infinitely because time isn't undifferentiated. There are seasons, rhythms, appropriate times for different activities.
Meaningful Work
Parkinson's Law works partly because much work is makework—artificial tasks created to fill time. If work genuinely mattered, it wouldn't expand arbitrarily.
New creation promises meaningful work—tending renewed creation, exploring God's infinite attributes, relating to infinite persons, creating art for eternal appreciation. This work won't expand to fill time because it's genuinely valuable, not just time-filling.
The Autistic Productivity Challenge
My autistic executive function struggles with self-structured time. Give me infinite unstructured time, and I'd likely accomplish nothing—paralyzed by infinite possibility, unable to initiate without external structure.
But new creation presumably solves this. Sanctification's completion means executive function perfected. I'll initiate naturally, prioritize wisely, sustain effort appropriately. The neurological gaps that make unlimited time problematic will be healed.
Finite Games and Infinite Games
James Carse distinguishes finite games (played to win, with defined endpoints) and infinite games (played to continue playing, with evolving purposes).
Parkinson's Law applies to finite games. Work expands to fill time because completion ends the game. Why finish quickly when finishing ends engagement?
Eternal life is infinite game. The point isn't completing tasks but participating in ongoing creation, relationship, worship. Work doesn't expand to fill time because the goal isn't finishing but engaging.
The Problem of Now
One reason work expands is difficulty staying present. Why focus intensely now when you have later? Why engage fully today when tomorrow offers the same opportunities?
But eternal life heightens rather than diminishes present significance. Each moment is unique, unrepeatable, infinitely valuable. Not because time is scarce but because each moment offers unique encounter with infinite God.
American Productivity Obsession
American culture obsesses over productivity—maximizing output, optimizing time, eliminating waste. Parkinson's Law becomes a problem because we frame everything as productivity challenge.
But eternal life isn't about maximizing productivity. It's about participating in God's life, enjoying creation, loving others, exploring infinite beauty. Productivity metrics don't apply.
This frees from Parkinson's Law's tyranny. Work doesn't need to be optimized or compressed. It can unfold naturally according to its own rhythms and purposes.
The Redemption of Time
Ephesians urges "making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil" (Ephesians 5:16). This creates urgency—not because time is scarce but because the present age is temporary.
Evil, suffering, and opportunity for faithfulness under trial won't persist into eternity. This age's particular challenges create particular opportunities for particular virtues.
Once redemption completes, those opportunities close. Not because time runs out but because circumstances change. You can't be faithful under persecution once persecution ends. You can't evangelize once everyone knows Christ.
Eternal Purpose
What prevents eternal boredom isn't constantly novel experiences but infinitely deep engagement. God is infinite—exploring His attributes never exhausts. Other persons are infinite depths—relationship never becomes fully known. Creation is infinitely complex—investigation never completes.
Work doesn't expand to fill time because the work itself is infinitely engaging. Not makework to fill empty time but genuine exploration, creation, relationship that's intrinsically valuable.
Practical Implications
What does this mean for how I use time now?
- Urgency comes from significance: Focus on what matters eternally, not just what's immediately pressing
- Structure time rhythmically: Follow creation patterns of work and rest
- Reject makework: Don't create tasks just to fill time
- Engage deeply: Depth matters more than breadth or speed
- Remember uniqueness: This phase of history offers unique opportunities
- Look forward: Eternal life solves rather than exacerbates time-management problems
- Practice presence: Each moment has infinite value regardless of time scarcity
Conclusion
Parkinson's Law describes how work expands to fill available time. This creates anxiety about eternal life—infinite time suggests infinite procrastination and meaninglessness.
But Christian eschatology offers something different from infinite time. Not endless undifferentiated duration but qualitatively transformed existence where work has genuine meaning, time has natural rhythms, and engagement is intrinsically valuable.
Eternal life doesn't mean infinite opportunities for procrastination. It means freedom from futility, capacity for deep engagement, participation in infinitely meaningful purposes.
My autistic struggles with unstructured time won't persist into eternity. The neurological limitations that make Parkinson's Law problematic will be healed. I'll engage naturally, appropriately, joyfully—not because deadlines force me but because work itself is intrinsically valuable.
Until then, I live with urgency—not because time is running out but because this particular phase of history offers unique opportunities. The night is coming when this kind of work can't be done. Not because time ends but because circumstances change.
Parkinson's Law won't apply in new creation. Not because deadlines will enforce efficiency but because work will be genuinely meaningful, time will be properly structured, and engagement will be its own reward.
One day, I'll work without futility, create without decay, engage without exhaustion. Not because I'll have infinite time to procrastinate but because I'll finally be free to work as work was meant to be—meaningful participation in God's eternal purposes.
Until then: resist Parkinson's Law by focusing on what matters eternally, working within creation rhythms, and remembering that present work contributes to purposes that outlast time itself.