August 17th - Decide how long things take
Aug 17, 2025
Oops. You forgot that outline was due, and now you only have 20 minutes to complete it. Can you get it done?
What if you only had 20 minutes to begin with. Could you have done it then?
Most of us schedule more time for tasks than we actually need. You thought you needed 90 minutes for that outline. The result? You’re confused about what to write, you overthink the topic, and you try to make every detail perfect. Suddenly, a simple outline, or model or essay or whatever, takes WAY longer than it should for no good reason.
Here’s a different approach: Decide in advance how long you will spend on a task, and then that’s it.
Think you need 90 minutes? Nope, you only get 45. Think you can do it?
Of course, don’t turn in sloppy work. But when you race the clock to get work done, instead of spending your time overthinking it and tweaking the font sizes, you spend your time on output, not puttering.
Give it a try. You might be surprised how much you can do!
August 17th - Decide how long things take