Behavior and Habit Design | Bestselling Author of Hooked and Indistractable | Investor | Keynote Speaker | 1M+ Audience
Why do tasks always seem to take longer than we anticipate? It's a phenomenon known as the planning fallacy. Research has shown that, on average, people take three times longer to finish a task than they predict. The main reason behind this is our tendency to underestimate the time and effort required for a task. We often have an optimistic outlook and believe we can complete things quickly, but in reality, unforeseen obstacles, distractions, and delays tend to pop up along the way. It's like when we set out to finish a project or exercise regularly, but then get sidetracked by emails, requests from our boss, or other unexpected tasks. That's why it's important to use techniques like timeboxing, where we allocate specific time slots for tasks and measure our progress within those timeframes. By doing so, we can gain a better understanding of how long things actually take and adjust our expectations accordingly. Next time you find yourself wondering why a task is taking longer than expected, remember the planning fallacy and the importance of setting clear goals and managing distractions.
Curious if you build in any buffer when time-boxing your calendar, Nir. If you estimate something will take 20 mins to finish, do you give yourself an hour on your calendar?
This is so true. When we’re scheduling ourselves, we really don’t put enough attention on the “in between” or buffer time. But it can go the other way as well. Sometimes I put off a task for a long time, expecting it to take forever but in reality it becomes a quick task. I guess it all just comes down to being intentional and learning as you go.
This is why I turn off all distractions, time box something and get it done. Example: LinkedIn engagement and posting. I time box 1 hour every day to get the thing done on here. I turn it off after. I focus on other items that I have timeboxed. It's amazing how powerful it can be to prioritize and execute.
My husband & I long ago realized our weekend projects took so much longer than we expected. We came up with a phrase that holds many memories: “NOTHING takes one hour.” 🙄
It's either way longer because I've pictured the perfect day or week and that doesn't happen, or it takes way less time because I've built up the thing to be really complicated and it's really easy.
yep. damn frustrating ..
For a PhD dissertation, it takes approximately 345x times longer.
That's why I like to use Groove - having a clear 50 minutes to "timebox" tasks as you suggest is SO helpful and ensures my productivity levels are on 🔥
The CEO Coach | CEO of the Year '19 | McKinsey, Skype | Author | Follow for posts about business, leadership & self-mastery.
5moIn this digital world, distractions are endless. Up to each individual to draw a line if they are to make meaningful progress, Nir Eyal