I knew exactly what to do.
I’d get all the holiday decorations put away, reorganize the attic, get a bunch of emails out, make dinner, throw in a couple loads of laundry, record a short IG video, do a quick Target return, and make a few client calls.
Easy peasy. What a productive day.
Until…it wasn’t.
Reality of my day: I got most of the decorations down but nothing got put away, which meant I didn’t touch anything in the attic, one load washed but not folded, no video, postponed my Target run, and made one call…to my mama, not my client.
The truth is, we suck at planning.
If you’re like me, you think you could easily do 10 things in a day only to get half done.
Which makes you feel like a big ole’ loser. (Please tell me that’s not just me?!)
I know where I went wrong. I ignored my general rule of planning:
Whatever you estimate, double the time.
Yes, you heard me. Times it by two.
Which means if you think something only takes 15 minutes, double it, and plan for 30.
If you’re a math genius like myself, you realize this means you’ll only get half the amount of things done that you’ve planned.
Which feels like a bummer at the start of your day, but like a total win at the end of your day when you actually get through your list.
The reason you want to double your time is that we generally don’t take into account the ramp-up and ramp-down time associated with tasks.
Like, “take a walk” might be 45 minutes but what about the 15 minutes it takes to change into your workout clothes and the 30 minutes when you return to shower and dress?
Or what about the 30-minute meeting you have scheduled? Where’s the 20 minutes to go through your notes, get your thoughts together, clear off your desk, and sign into Zoom?
And after the meeting, how about the 10-30 minutes it will take to file your notes, create a recap, or send a next steps email?
I’ve found that even the smallest of tasks like ”mail at post office” resulted in more traffic or a longer line than I anticipated.
And if you’ve overestimated your time, guess what? You have more time for yourself (hallelujah!) or getting other things done on your list. Hello, overachiever!
Bottom line, things take longer than you think so it’s always better to overestimate than underestimate.
If you want to get better at planning, double your time.
So here’s my ask of you. Answer this:
What’s a task you notoriously underestimate?
Maybe it’s emails. Maybe it’s getting out of the house in the morning. Hit reply and let me know.
And if you’re tired of feeling overloaded, overstretched, and not able to plan your day like you wish you could, we should totally chat. I offer a free breakthrough session where we talk about simple ways to get out of your scatteredness immediately. Take me up on this right here.
xo,
Mridu
ps – I thought this would take me 30 minutes to write…good thing I planned for 60! 😉
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