Plot duration

According to Mary Stewart's Launching the Imagination, plot duration refers to the time covered by the events of the story, and is especially important to the success of a work. In fiction writing, I've heard this concept as "In Late, Out Early". You focus on the action, whether it be an action or a decision. If you show too much leading up to an event, or too much of the results, the audience will get bored. It's interesting to see the guy who gets caught in the middle of a robbery while he's at the bank depositing money. You probably don't want to see that guy having breakfast that morning, or him going to be that night.