How do I estimate the time for a task or project in my business?

How does it happen that every day things seem to fall behind schedule? Even with a list, time blocking, and maybe even a plan, there never seems to be enough time in the workday.

I see business owners struggle with this All. The. Time.

They ask things like “I’ve never done this thing before, how do I know how long it will take?” or “I’ve done this so many times before and I still never seem to have enough time to do it…what’s going on?”

Before we dive in, let’s define what we’re really talking about here. We’re not talking about time blocking or scheduling your calendar. We’re not talking about procrastination (mostly). And we’re not talking about sticking to what’s in your calendar or on your list.

We’re talking about time blindness. 

This can happen to anyone, but it’s super common for people with ADHD. It’s not your fault, or a personal failure! Time blindness is when someone’s internal clock has trouble keeping track of the time accurately. It can result in having trouble thinking about the future, being late for things, and spending longer on tasks than anticipated…among many other things.

Nothing in today’s article is a “cure” but there are lots of little tricks and strategies that can help minimize the effects of time blindness and help people more accurately estimate time. The key is to find what resonates with you and what makes you feel inspired. There’s no “right” way to do this!

Another distinction is we’re not addressing when to do the task in this article. That falls more into the “scheduling” bucket. If someone asks you when you can have a task done by, some of these strategies will certainly help but you’ll also have to have a good handle on your schedule.

Another little note before we begin…I don’t usually do extensive research for these articles, but this particular skill comes reasonably naturally to me. Maybe through practice, the systems I have in place, or from not suffering from time blindness at all, I’m reasonably good at knowing how long things will take. So for today’s article I’m drawing heavily on client experiences but also some tricks from Professional Project Managers. Some strategies are simple, some are more complex, and it’s just about picking what’s right for you. This is not even close to a complete list, but it should be enough to get you started.

The Most Important Thing about Time Blindness

If you suffer from time blindness, or just not being great at estimating time for projects, the most important thing is you have to want to do the work to improve it. This isn’t likely something that will just fix itself so dedicating yourself to a few strategies and doing the work will make all the difference.

Treat it like any skill you want to improve on. Learn about it, practice it, reflect, and make adjustments. You’ll also have to try it out for a little while, as many of these strategies are cumulative.

Yup, it might be boring. Try to find some ways to make it fun or gamify it so you can stick with it.

1. Break Tasks and Projects Down into Smaller Parts

Smaller things are much easier to estimate than larger things. If you try and estimate something like “write copy for my website”, even the best estimator will be off. However, if you break it down into things like:

• Write template email for market research request
• Email 5 people to set up a call to interview them
• Write interview questions
• Have 5 x 30 min calls
• Use ChatGPT to compile my call notes
• Download copywriting workbook for my home page, about page, and sales page
• Answer workbook questions for home page
• Use workbook answers to write first section of home page
• Write second section
• Write third section
• Edit/review home page
• Send to mastermind group to review what I’ve written
• Finalize home page copy integrating feedback
• Etc.

With a list like that, you’ll be able to more easily estimate the time for each smaller task and have a more realistic timeline. Not to mention, it will be much more effective when you add the smaller tasks to your calendar.

2. Track How Long Tasks Take

This can definitely be tedious, I know, but if this is something you want to get better at, it will help. There are tons of time-tracking apps that can help (Toggl is one), or you can just jot it down on paper next to your desk. 

If we use the example above, having tacked your time for the first part of your website copy, you will know more accurately how long the next pages on your website will take to write. 

With this tip, pay attention to how long you’re spending actually doing the task, versus how long you may be procrastinating doing the task. For example, I know for sure that on Mondays when I sit down to write my articles, I can easily spend an hour procrastinating before I get to work. When I have a tight deadline, like I do today, I can get the article done quickly. 

3. Use Math to Estimate the Task Length (if you’re feeling nerdy about it)

(If you hate math, skip this one and go down to #4!)

Yes, there are equations for figuring out how long something will take. Specifically, equations that build in different variables. Here are a few in brief:

• Weighted Average Time Estimation

Estimate the most optimistic (O) amount of time, the most pessimistic (P) amount of time, and the most likely (L) amount of time it will take.

Then calculate:

If your instinct is to quote a client on the most optimistic time, for example, or even the most likely time, this gives you some buffer and a reminder to quote more time.

Source: https://www.melissagratias.com/estimating-time/

• Fudge Ratio

This doesn’t help the immediate task, but will help future tasks. Divide how long you estimated the task to take by how long the task actually took. That gives you your fudge ratio.

Next time you do the same task, you can estimate the time and multiply it by your fudge ratio to get a more accurate estimate.

• Over-Estimate the Time

Simply take your estimate and add 25-30% as a buffer until you collect more data. 

It’s tempting to estimate your time based on having a “good brain day” but realistically we need to account for doing the work on a possible “bad brain day”. Or even just unforeseen obstacles like traffic on your way to an appointment or spilling something all over yourself before a meeting!

4. Ask Others How Long a Task Might Take

You don’t have to reinvent the wheel here. If you know someone else who has done something similar, ask them how long it took and what steps were included. Heck, you can even ask an AI bot to help with this! It may not be the exact same for you, but it gives you a good place to start.

Other Factors to Consider When Estimating Time

• What time of day will you be doing the work?Knowing your rhythms and when you work best will give you insight into how effective you’ll be at doing the task

• Can you eliminate interruptions or distractions? Or plan for them? It’s tempting to say you won’t get distracted, but that’s a recipe for beating yourself up if you do, especially if you have ADHD traits. Try to figure out how long it’s realistic to focus on a certain task and know yourself to stick to that.

• Are you relying on someone else for part of the project? Or are you anticipating the project using knowledge/skills you don’t have yet? Build in extra time for that.

• What parts of the project are critical for success, and which ones are “nice to have”? It’s tempting to work on the bells and whistles first, which can put you behind schedule.

This isn’t about comparing yourself to others or feeling bad if you can’t do something as quickly as you think. It’s about getting to know yourself and setting yourself up for success! Knowing how long tasks will take will ease the day-to-day stress and hopefully reduce the feeling of always being behind…so you have some time to actually enjoy yourself!

I know this topic could have been a book and there’s lots I missed. My intention is to get you thinking about what strategies could work for you, and (if this is a problem for you) get you inspired to give something a try.

Key Takeaways

• If you want to get better at estimating your time, it will take dedicated effort and intentionality. If you find this skill boring, find a way to make it fun!
• It’s not just about the task itself, but also the situations you’re working in. If you’re not working at your peak time, you have lots of interruptions, or you’re relying on someone else, tasks will take longer.
• Find a strategy that works for you, not just something someone told you “should” work
• Breaking projects down into smaller parts makes it much easier to estimate how long each thing will take
• Tracking your time is a good way to predict how long something will take in the future
• The point is to make your day easier and less stressful, so keep that in mind when you’re trying strategies

If time blindness and ADHD are things you face in running your business, consider joining a supportive group of other business owners who totally get what you’re going through. The Happy Squirrel Collective is an ADHD-friendly community of business owners who want to get shit done their own way. Use the community to get inspired by others who are trying things out and shaping their work into something that works for them. Join now at https://stephaniewasylyk.com/happysquirrel