Because there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Know these rules before undertaking any project, particularly if it’s a lifestyle design or productivity system one! Even if you plan on breaking them, you’ve got to know them first. Not a day goes by I don’t encounter a situation addressed by at least one of these laws.

1. Ockham’s Razor: “All other things being equal, the simplest solution is the best.”
Derived from the writings of the 14th-century English logician and Franciscan friar William of Ockham, who wrote “Plurality must never be posited without necessity” in his Sentences of Peter Lombard and “It is futile to do with more things that which can be done with fewer” in his Summa Totius Logicae. A modern variation is the KISS principle (Keep It Simple, Stupid).

2. Pareto’s Law: “80% of the outputs come from 20% of the inputs.”
Also known as the 80/20 rule, this principle comes from the work of Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, who observed that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. It can be phrased many different ways, i.e. “80% of the results come from 20% of the effort and time”, “80% of your sales come from 20% of your clients”, etc. etc. ad infinitum.

3. Sturgeon’s Law: “Ninety percent of everything is crap.”
One cannot create a magnum opus every time one sits down to write. This law goes a long way toward explaining the new wisdom, supported by various studies, that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become a genius/expert at anything. This law was formulated by science fiction author Theodore Sturgeon in a book review column.

4. Parkinson’s Law: “Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.”
From the first line of an essay written by Cyril Northcote Parkinson and later collected in his book Parkinson’s Law. Ever notice that no matter what the project or how long you have to do it, you seem to complete it the day it’s due? Think about this when setting deadlines for yourself.

5. Hofstadter’s Law: “It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter’s Law.”
Pretty self-explanatory. Coined by Douglas Hofstadter in his magnum opus Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid.

And here’s two bonus principles to consider, even if they don’t have the inevitable power of the laws above. My own 100% Factor: “You can’t give more than 100% of yourself…at a time“ and the final line of Bre Pettis and Kio Stark’s Cult of Done Manifesto: “Done is the engine of more” (Finishing something increases forward motion more than starting it).

My main goal is to bend Parkinson’s Law by learning how to set personal internal deadlines that are as immutable and immovable to me as external ones, so that I can finish projects with time (on the schedule) to spare. This will not be easy. Parkinson’s Law has been a life practice for me.

Is there one of these rules you’d like to learn to bend?