Business is full of estimating.
A new project opportunity emerges.
The scope of work is written.
Hours to achieve that scope are estimated.
This determines both the cost and duration of the project.
My Perspective
I wonder what would happen if we applied an estimating approach to personal planning.
We could look at the week and estimate the time to accomplish deliverables.
How many hours will it take to prepare that project deliverable?
Including the drive time, how long will the sports events take each evening?
How many hours are already scheduled for meetings?
Realistically, how many hours a day do I need to effectively respond to email?
The errands – grocery, laundry, cleaning – all need accomplished.
How long do they realistically take?
We are an overworked and overwhelmed society.
Many things in our daily life at work and home are often forgotten in our overall plan.
We only have 168 hours each week and we can’t produce more.
Doing a time estimate for the week might point out if you are overallocated and by how much.
From there, tough decisions need to be made to adjust the plan for the week.
The tradeoffs will be made no matter what because we don’t have time for it all.
Better to make the decisions intentionally than in a panic in the moment.
Your Turn
Have you ever tried to estimate the time for the week?
Do you find yourself midway through a week struggling to get everything done?
Could weekly estimates help identify the challenges before the week begins?