Are you starting work on a new project at the office?

Do you want tips on how to manage your time the smart way?

Working on a new project is exciting.

You’ve got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to work with new information, materials, and perhaps different people.

You’re in a good mood and the possibilities for your work seem endless!

As you settle into the rosy glow of your new project, there is something you should keep in mind.

You’ll probably need more time than you think in order to get the job done.

In this post, you’ll find some great reasons to give yourself a bit more time to finish that new assignment or project.

Doing anything for the first time will always take a lot longer than expected…projects included!

Exploring uncharted territory means taking wrong turns.

It’s easy to complete project tasks, right?

You’ve got your tasks clearly laid out. You can easily work your way down the list and check off items as soon as they’re completed. Well, not exactly…

Task completion can be a completely different thing in practice.

You might go through any number of wrong turns or mistakes (unintentionally, of course) as you work through a new project.

For example, you could forget an important document, run out of supplies, or realize you need to retrace your steps from the very beginning.  

So, what should you do? You should carefully monitor your progress while you work.

This way, you can keep an eye out for potential setbacks and make timely corrections as needed.

Some tasks require mastering sub-tasks.

There are times when you have to stop working on a larger task in order to solve a smaller task, problem, or issue. 

Unfortunately, these types of situations can’t be predicted. They simply happen. They’re a part of life.

Here’s an example: let’s say you’re planning a birthday party for a friend. You want to print party invitations using your new home printer. You’ve designed the invitations on your computer and are ready to print.

But there’s a teeny problem: you don’t know which way to insert the invitations into the printer. You end up spending an hour reviewing your printer’s manual making sure the invitations print as they should.

As you can see from this example, you’d spend more time than originally planned to print the invitations!

How familiar or unfamiliar are you with completing certain tasks? If you’re performing a task for the first time, you may want to factor in additional work time.

This will allow you to efficiently complete subtasks without falling off-track from your original plans.

Interruptions are par for the course.

How many times has this happened to you? You start working on a project, when all of the sudden, the phone rings. Or, there’s a knock at the door, or a text message on your cell phone.

As annoying as they may be, interruptions are part of the work process.

While you can eliminate some interruptions, such as switching off electronic devices, or letting people know you are not to be disturbed, others are completely unavoidable.

Sometimes, you have to put aside what you’re working on in order to address an urgent interruption, be it emergency issue or minor hiccup.

Enthusiasm is no match for exhaustion.

As excited as you may be to start working on your project, your enthusiasm will only take you so far.

By no means is this meant to be taken in a negative way.

It’s just that a little thing called tiredness will eventually catch up with you!  

The excitement of working on a new project can often mask feelings of fatigue or tiredness.

Do yourself a favor and schedule adequate breaks, snacks, meals, and rest time as you work on your project.

Yes, it may take more time to finish what you started, but at least you won’t be worn out and exhausted when you get there!

How about you? What steps have you taken to estimate a project completion date? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!