Becoming incredibly productive is not just about working harder and gaining efficiency but also about doing the right things. We manage attention, approach with purpose, and work smarter. Those of us looking to gain productivity should consider three important laws related to productivity: Parkinson’s, Hofstadter’s, and Pareto’s law.
Parkinson’s Law
Parkinson’s law states that work expands to fill the time available for its completion. In The Economist in 1955, Cyril Northcote Parkinson related this concept to his experience with the British Civil Service. His essay accounted for the impact of bureaucracy and the expansion of work. Likewise, it applies to many aspects of orthodontic work. If we reserve one week to complete a task, we will take the whole week to finish it. Even if we procrastinate, we would complete the job in the last two hours of that week. It was, in reality, a two-hour task, but we took a whole week to perform it. In the same way, if we schedule ninety minutes to bond brackets on a patient, we will take the full ninety minutes. Despite the procedure taking forty minutes when implemented appropriately.
Hofstadter’s Law
Douglas Hofstadter introduced the law in 1979, discussing how long it would take for chess-playing computers to beat a human opponent. Hofstadter’s law states that we have difficulty estimating the time required to complete tasks of substantial complexity. This law is an example of optimism bias where we underestimate the challenges and timeframe complex work can take. In addition, we overestimate how well a system will function. Orthodontists do this in many circumstances, and the best example is likely the estimate of treatment time.
Most orthodontists underestimate how long treatment will last for many patients. Therefore, treatment over an estimated time is commonly a problem in orthodontics. What we think will take eighteen months to treat may not consider Hofstadter’s law. Compliance, challenges in getting the desired result, treatment complications, and appointment misses will consequently extend the treatment beyond estimation.
Pareto’s Principle
We refer to the Pareto principle as the 80:20 rule. Eighty percent of the consequences come from twenty percent of the causes. We find many circumstances where we spend eighty percent of the time managing twenty percent of the problems. Our productivity can benefit when we consider Pareto’s observation and focus on the key areas that drive our results.
