The number one reason most home studio owners state for not releasing all the music they want to is this: lack of time.
It’s not really lack of gear, or lack of ambition, or even lack of skill – but rather all those other commitments we have in our lives (family, friends, work, school).
But what if I told you there was a simple hack you could use to virtually guarantee you’d complete your next EP, album, or single in less time and with more quality? There is – and it involves exploiting something called Parkinson’s Law.
It Takes As Long As You Let It
Are you not finishing your EP or Album because you feel you don’t have enough time?
If so, you’re not alone. We all have an idea of what “enough” time is for a given project and if we feel the time is not available, we give up, get discouraged, or at best trudge on but with super low expectations of completion.
Ironically, it is US who get to determine how long a project takes. Not the project itself.
Enter Parkinson’s Law.
Parkinson’s Law states that work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.
Let me repeat that: work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.
Work expands – it always does. You and I both know it to be true.
If we are given a month to write a term paper for school, it will feel like a huge deal and likely take the entire 30 days to complete. However if we are given 48 hours to complete that same term paper, somehow we will get it done in just 2 days. And likely with the same (or better) level of quality.
Why? Because the time pressure forces us to focus. We eliminate all the unnecessary things and focus purely on what is important for the project’s completion and quality.
Interesting.
So what Parkinson’s Law is telling us is this: your recording or mixing project will take as much time as you give it. If time is short in your life, this truth is a wonderfully empowering statement.
Today’s To-Do List: Write A New Song
I’ve been hacking Parkinson’s Law for the last 3 or 4 years pretty intentionally in my studio, and most recently I’ve used it to write my new EP in record time.
All year long I’ve been wanting to work on some new music for my solo project but as you might have experience, there never seems to be enough time!
So one day in July I sat down and did one simple but profound thing: I put “Write a new song” on my to-do list for the next day.
When I came into the studio that next morning, I looked on my desk and there staring back at me was that simple line on my yellow legal pad: “Write a new song”. And it had to be done today!
I’ll give you the shortened version of the story: by that afternoon I had written not one, but two songs!
Done.
How crazy was that? I’d given myself (unofficially) all year to write and record a new EP and yet no progress had been made. Then I decided to reduce the amount of time to complete one of those steps (write a new song) to just one day. And the power kicked in: it only took me one day to write not one, but two songs!
Finish Recording All Songs By Next Month
After using Parkinson’s Law to write the songs for my EP in just a matter of days, it was time to think about recording. When would I get around to actually laying down the tracks?
Instead of simply attacking it bit by bit when I “found time” I decided to keep the time hack going and give myself a shorter time frame to complete the recording.
I looked at my calendar and set a recording completion day for 30 days from now.
How would I have time to get my drummer in here? What about my lead guitar player? Would I be rushed and not have time to add all the creative elements I want?
Legitimate questions – but the human mind has a way of overcoming challenges when forced to. This project would be no exception as I somehow found myself laying down tracks quicker than ever before.
Scheduling conflicts prohibited me from bringing in my drummer so I changed gears and decided to use EZ Drummer on this project instead. It was a stretch for me, but I learned a lot in the process and actually ended up with some killer “performances”.
I dialed in two main guitar tones on my Eleven Rack and used them for all the songs. Arrangements came together quickly as I was ruthless in my self-producing – thinking more like a listener and less like an engineer.
Decision making happened quickly and easily. Why? Because it had to.
Now in my world, 30 days to track an EP is a bit tight but doable. Mostly because I get to work in my studio for a living and so I can steal away big chunks of time during the day to work on personal projects if need be.
For you, that might seem impossible, assuming you can only sneak into your studio on nights or weekends.
But you might be surprised at what you’re capable of if you simply set a shorter deadline than feels comfortable. We’ve already seen how easy it is to start and complete an entire song from idea to release in one month.
Mix Your Song In Two Hours Or Less
What’s beautiful about hacking Parkinson’s Law is that you can apply it to mixing as well.
If you give yourself 8 hours to a mix a song – it’ll take 8 hours. But if you give yourself say only two hours, guess what? It’ll take you two hours!
Why does this happen? Because it must! You feel the subtle pressure of a clock ticking (a real timer helps tremendously) and so you focus in on just the mixing moves that matter.
Instead of trying plugin after plugin or technique after technique you simply get to work on the big wins: volume, pan, EQ, compression, and mix buss processing. Everything else is optional.
Again the goal here is to take advantage of Parkinson’s Law – that work expands to as to fill the time available for its completion. If that is true, then give your mix less time to be completed and that’s how long it will take.
In other words, YOU are in control of how long your mixing process is.
That is both a scary and liberating feeling.
How Will You Hack Parkinson’s Law?
So far with my project I’ve used Parkinson’s Law to write songs in a matter of days, record an EP in less than a month, and then in a week or two I will mix quickly and efficiently (with a timer of course).
Why? Because time is short. I’m buys creating content for The Recording Revolution, mixing for clients, volunteering in my church band, being a husband and father, and washing the dishes every night!
I’m busy – just like you. So Parkinson’s Law is a powerful tool I can hack to accomplish my musical goals.
But what about you? How will you hack Parkinson’s Law this week or this month? Leave a comment below and answer this question: What is one upcoming project that you will apply tighter/shorter deadlines to in order to finish more quickly?
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My name is Graham Cochrane and I'm the founder of The Recording Revolution, one of the world's most loved audio recording and mixing blogs with over 200,000 readers each month. 
Great post Graham!
But you know, in my case when I write a song “fast”, it’s usually pretty bad/forgetable.
WhenI take my time I’m happier with the result. I still listen to mi EP #2 and feel proud of it. Though it’s not perfect of course.
I’m currently working on new songs and will take my time to write them. But I might work with tighter deadlines with the recording and mixing 😉
I really needed this. I have an album I’ve been wanting to finish, and one month off of work in October. A month didn’t seem like enough, but after reading this, it’s more than enough time. Thanks for the blog post!
Good luck!
Wow, a month is great! Make the most of it. Good luck to you!
You’re welcome!
Hey Graham,
this is a question related to your first start to mixing video. You apply a trim plug in to get the volume to -16 why is this better than just turning down the volume ? maybe i missed something. thanks for all the info you are sharing. respect
Great question – HUGE difference. The trim plugin turns down your track BEFORE it hits your plugins. Pulling down the volume fader only affects volume AFTER plugins.
I’ve been working on a soundtrack project for a 13 part audio drama series (10-15 minutes each). I’ve finished 7 parts so far, and, following your example, I’ll give myself a week to finish the restl! Wish me luck (I think I can, like the little locomotive says).
Thanks for the rant, and for continuously trying! It actually amounts to some slowly but steadily pushing me forward, with a slight kick in the butt, every time.
Anytime 🙂
I have my home studio and I’m producing my second album and I hope to finish it this year.
Great! That’s exactly how CLA work, and how Miles Davis was approaching his whole career. Mick Jagger wrote lyrics sometimes right before a take, and Bach improvised on a Sunday cermon that later was studied in detail by generations. Get out on the edge and live, or go into the closet and get clever… Thanks Graham for this!
A few months ago, I set the goal of completing one song a month. This seemed reasonable. Unfortunately though, I haven’t stuck with it for this month. I’ve barely even worked on the song (you know the typical excuses…too tired…not enough time…etc). This post reminded me of the goal that I set. Technically, I still have time to release my song this month. Time to get refocused!
One thing that helps me is that when watching tv with the family, I always have a unplugged electric guitar in my hand and my iPhone. (I have many riffs/ideas recorded with a tv in the background. ) My job often involves a lot of drive time, During this time I go back through the riffs and try to pick one that is useable. Sometimes I will just record myself humming the melody or singing/speaking lyrics. I try to get a rough arrangement down in my head and often send myself an email with ideas.
Then I have to discipline myself when in my little garage studio and track and mix everything. I find that once I enter the “creative” mindset it usually flows. If I quit trying that mindset vanishes and I just drift musically. I definitely do better if I place constraints on myself and make the best use of the time I have.
I agree that you need to stay in the creative mindset and let it flow!
Thanks for the boost. I will set my schedule today for when in the week I can work in the studio and then start making some deadlines. I have 5 songs partially recorded and need them done!!
Today we wrote two new songs. Infact – in our band The Bookshop Band – it’s how we always wrote our songs. We write them for a concert in the evening where people know we will be playing two new songs. We do this about once a month. We’ve been together as a band for 6 years and we’re just about to record our 14th album. Fully agree with Graham on this. Give yourself deadlines / limited time and it’ll just make you focus / go with your gut / not second guess yourself / get rid of your procrastination. Limited time and resources can fule creativity is an amazing way. Too many resources and too much time stifles it.
Wow – super cool idea Ben!
Great advice! I have found this to be true in my own experience as well that when I take less time on writing and recording usually the results are not just quicker but also more inspired sounding!!!
My wife makes me do the dishes too.
Funny because I have a similar story. I have been waiting to record a project I title “Reborn” since Feb. My birthday is this following Sunday and I’m finally ready to tackle these tracks. I’ll give myself 2 days to rec, 2 days to mix, and 1 day to master. Can’t wait to show the world what I got!
I just recently had a sound design project that needed to be done in 24 hours! My client asked me for 3 short song examples and 9 sound effects. This is something I of course would like to have the luxury of doing over a weekend, but it just wasn’t possible. Using Parkinson’s Law I actually finished the ENTIRE thing in about 8 hours. BOOM. It works.
Way to go Adam!
Release an EP with six new songs within six weeks. Is that possible?
That was my goal on the 17th June this year.
One week writing songs, one for the lyrics, one for recording and one for mixing. Sounds good.
Real life:
On the 29th june I released five new songs. Two weeks later I deleted another song, because it just wasn’t good. So, four songs in six weeks. They are definately not perfect, but it ‘s the best I can offer at this point. I learned a lot along the way which I will implement in my next soloproject (and in other projects as well).
Most important: finally I have new songs out there.
So, start up you gear, start recording and mixing and release your stuff. Nothing beats experience, trust me 🙂
Sorry, it should read: the 29th JULY! Not June….
Prioritizing might help, too.
Me, I only apply Parkinson’s Law to things that I don’t really care for.
The things that are important to me, like spending time with loved ones and music, I simply prioritize.
If we decide that we have to be involved in everything and that everything is equally important, then no Parkinson’s Law is going to help.
The article on the guy recording a song in his car during his lunch breaks at work is anperfect example of prioritizing; he decided that his music was more important than sitting around, relaxing in the cantine, checking social media, etc., during his break.
When we do prioritize, Parkinson’s Law tend to apply itself automatically on the things that are not on our top of the list preferences.
But maybe I’m just an old fashioned guy and that word doesn’t even exist anymore in these modern times :-).
Regards,
I’ve always relied on inspiration for songwriting. Often a song just pops up in my head when I’m on my bike, sometimes I play on my guitar and something comes up that strikes me. But I’ve often experienced that, when I tell myself “I’m gonna write a song now” nothing happens. Not one good idea. Sure I can cram together some chords and slap some words on, but that’s nothing that gets me excited.
Good thing is I have a concept album in my head already (written on long walks in my vacation) and I plan on recording and releasing it next February or March. The production is gonna be massive, because I already hear so many details in my head, so that’s a big goal, but Parkinson’s law might definitely help at mixing.
Great post! Haha, love the part when you said you have to wash the dishes every night too…. You know, I unconsciously apply the “Parkinson’s Law” on washing my dishes every night. And I will usually give myself 5 mins to do them. And 90% of the time it works out well for me. Even if those dishes are not SUPER DUPER clean, but if my wife is not complaining who cares right?
Bahaha. Love it. I’ve definitely had to “re-wash” a few dishes that I rushed through 🙂
I like the saying “The amateur waits for inspiration while the professional just writes.” You interchange that writing with anything else. I make time every day even if it is just 10 minutes to write – a few words, a few titles, etc. The mind can be trained so that it knows we are going to write or produce or engineer every day if we start the habit of doing so. One you are into this mindset (after a few weeks) you will be amazed at how easy it is to just sit down and start. I used to use the procrastination excuse for lots of things saying “oh I only have 15 minutes so I’ll do it tomorrow.” Now I say “I have 15 minutes, I’ll write a verse.” The time constraint along with planning and scheduling works wonders. Try it!
Hi gram good post at good time finished 8 songs in just 2 weeks I think mixed but not mastered I listen to then daily cause once I go for that mattering session there’s no going back I use studio one Learnt that from u they joy of mastering in one go
I wish to try this Law and by starting i want to record an EP of 4 tracks within 28 days
There is a lot to this.
shure. I am going to need SOME time to finish my songwriting, recording and mixing, and the deadline should be a reasoneble one. BUT… setting a deadline is important. It creates focus and diminishes the less important (and sometimes irrellevant) concerns I have. Thank you Graham. I think this is the most important lesson you have taught me :).
Even though I have a lot to learn, I experience a lot more progress when I finish my projects and move on and look at what I can do to improve the next one, instead of obsessing over things that don’t improve my songs or mixes. Once again. Thank you !!!
This is really helpful
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