How Not to Overestimate Your Time

Do you overestimate the time it will take you to complete a small chore or errand?

Does it seem as if you put undue pressure on yourself to complete the tiniest of tasks?

We regularly hear a lot about underestimating one’s time.

But what about overestimating your time during the day?

It’s just as important to learn how to not overestimate your time on a regular basis.

In this post, you’ll find several tips to help you better manage your time when it comes to getting things done.

Get out of your head.

One of the main reasons people overestimate the time it will take to complete a small task is that they live too much in their head.

They focus on all the possibilities and challenges they may face.

They create elaborate scenarios, make excuses, and transform the smallest task into a monstrosity.

What’s the solution to this problem? Stop living in your head.

Recognize when you start building up small tasks and chores.

Tell yourself the task is not that complex.

It’s just a simple task that needs to get done.

Write down the task.

Once you’ve gotten yourself out of your head, you may find it helpful to see your task for what it is.

Try writing down the task in a short sentence or phrase.

You may find the task is completely transformed when it written down in black and white.

With just one stroke of a pen, what seemed to be an extremely time-consuming task has suddenly turned into something more manageable.

Set a timer and get to work.   

Think that short task will take hours upon hours to complete?

It will probably take less time than you think.

Here are two timer methods you can use to help you with your work.

The first method is to set a timer to count up. Start the timer and work on the task.

When you’re done, stop the timer and see how long it actually took you to get that task done. Not bad, huh?

The second method is to set a timer for ten minutes. Start the timer and work on the task for ten minutes straight.

Don’t do anything else during this time, except working on your task.

You’ll be surprised at how much you can get done when you put your mind to it!

How about you? Do you overestimate the time it takes you to complete small tasks? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!

Rashelle Isip Productivity Coach and Founder of The Order Expert®

Rashelle Isip is a New York City-based productivity coach, consultant, and founder of The Order Expert®. With over 16 years of experience, she helps entrepreneurs and executives replace the "hustle and grind" mindset with one of "ease and flow." Rashelle is a former contributing columnist for Inc.com and Lifehack.org, and has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, NBC News, The Washington Post, and NPR. She is the author of four books, including The Order Expert’s Guide to Time Management. When not helping clients master their schedules, she enjoys scouting for practical, well-designed office supplies. Learn more at TheOrderExpert.com.

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