Howard was really frustrated that the work he’d done many times before still took much longer than he expected. He thought he should be more efficient and be able to do the work faster than he was. This created all kinds of stress in his life because he was always running late and having to juggle his calendar to get back on track. And he got down on himself because he wasn’t faster.
The first step to solving this problem is getting the facts and understanding what is going on – just like you’d do for your clients.
In this case, we learned that Howard was failing to consider how long it took him to complete similar tasks in the past, assuming he would not run into any complications or distractions, and assuming that the next time he did the task would be better than the last. These are very normal human tendencies that psychologists call the planning fallacy and optimism bias. These are not character flaws – they are actually hard-wired into our mental operating system.
The solution to Howard’s problem was to start using more information, and less intuition when he planned how long things would take. These strategies included:
- Getting historical data on how long the most common tasks have taken in the past. You can start with your billing data, or start tracking so you have the data in the future. It’s important to look beyond the time you bill for the activity – as that may not be 100% of the time it took.
- Have an estimating buddy. It was really helpful for Howard when we worked together to review his estimates and the time it actually took to complete the tasks. The outside perspective helped him question his assumptions and led to more reasonable estimates.
- Use the cone of uncertainty. Project managers plan in extra time for uncertainty and delays – especially at the beginning of projects. They know that time estimates become more predictable as the project moves to completion. Planning much more time than you need at the beginning will give you space to adjust and reduce pressure as the deadline looms.
- Try Three-Point Estimates. This technique makes you confront your optimism by estimating a best-case, worst-case, and most likely estimate. You can pick one, or average them out and use that.
- Find your Fudge Factor. Keep track of your estimates and how long the tasks actually take. This will give you your fudge factor – or how long you need to add in general to the task estimates.
- Pay attention to the time of day. When are you at your best? Is it first thing in the morning, or are you a night owl? Don’t expect the same productivity when you are at a low time of day.
It takes a while to learn and hone these skills. If you don’t continue to use them you’ll fall right back to the old ways of doing things. At least that’s what I’ve experienced. Stick with it, and be patient and you will see results.
-Doug
P.S… It’s always harder to change by yourself. If you are tired of the same-old-same-old then get in touch with me for a free strategy consultation. Click here to learn more