Limiting time for activities

Parkinson's law states that an activity expands to fill the time available for its completion.^[1] In the context of design workshops, this means that without time limits, activities can go on forever.

Another point is that, when given too much time to explore ideas, people go deep into a few concepts and get attached to them quickly. We want to avoid this in design workshops when the goal is to generate a large number of ideas, not a few ideas of quality.

Always estimate how long something will take, but expect to adapt on the spot — that's why it's helpful to plan in some time buffer. Keep an eye on the clock to stay on track, but do this subtly. Using a visible countdown time can create a pressured environment, making it harder to brainstorm and be creative. Instead, announce the time limit for an exercise and keep your eye on the clock. This will require a little more effort on your part, but it will put participants at ease.