Mental models are a way of explaining how things work. Throughout our lives, we build up a personal collection of mental models to understand the world around us.
Mental models aren't perfect but developing a rich toolbox of them can be useful in navigating the complexities of life. Learning to intuitively apply the right models in the right situations is something we develop with practice.
This website is a curated collection of models with broad applicability in everyday life. There’s a focus on brief descriptions and simple, real life examples of the models in use.
Weekly Mental Model
Parkinson's Law
Work tends to expands to fill the time available for its completion.Description
Parkinson's Law is the adage that "work expands to fill the time available for its completion", suggesting that the duration of a task is dictated by the deadline set for it, rather than by the amount of work involved. This concept implies that if you give yourself a week to complete a two-hour task, then (psychologically speaking) the task will increase in complexity and become more daunting so as to fill that week. It highlights the inefficiencies in time management and suggests the importance of setting appropriate deadlines to increase productivity.
Examples
A student given two weeks to prepare a presentation will likely use the entire period, even if the actual work could be completed in a few days.
An employee assigned a minor task with a long deadline might over-complicate the task, making it more time-consuming than necessary.