Things always take longer than you think they will. This phenomenon is called Hofstadter’s Law. It states that things take longer than you think they will, even if you think they're going to take longer than you think they will. In fact, even if you're aware that things are going to take longer than you think they will and even longer than that, they'll probably still take longer!
Ok but in all seriousness though, this is a real problem. We've all experienced some version of this. Maybe it was a task in a group project that seemed easy at first but then almost made it late. Perhaps you left yourself a week to finish an assignment and still ended up awake at four in the morning on the day it was due. Or maybe you started “a twenty-minute task" and found yourself deep in a headache four hours later.
Unfortunately, there's no silver bullet for this issue. There's no fool-proof way to ensure that you've prepared for absolutely everything. There's no magic way to perfectly estimate what you'll need to complete something. However, there are a few ways you can try to fight Hofstadter's law, and hey, with some hard work you might just win. Here are my tips:
1 - Always Start ASAP!
Like many tips on this list, this is a lot easier said than done. Still though, I remember being in high school and having people tell me that they had stayed up all night working on something. Then I would say, “but wait, wasn't that assigned two months ago? When did you start?” Then they would sheepishly inform me that they only started a few days ago. It may seem common sense, but many of us put things off as long as we can. If you think you can do something in a day, don't wait until the last day to do it. What if you can't? What if it takes three? Even if you're sure it will only take one day and you have a whole month to complete your goal, why not start ASAP? The worst case scenario is that you finish twenty-nine days early and don't have to stress about the project at all for the rest of the month. That's a big win in my books! Obviously, most of us have multiple tasks on the go at once so you will have to prioritize. Mental health, breaks and personal time are important as well. However, if you have some free time, start. Finishing early isn't a problem. In fact, it could allow for editing or refining that will make a big difference in final quality. I know it seems simple, but seriously, just start!
2 - Plan for the Worst
Pessimism never helped anyone, right? Wrong. Being overly pessimistic can be crippling, but being optimistic can as well. Remember my high school friend who thought they could do a two-month assignment in one night? Yeah, about that… no. They destroyed their health pulling constant all-nighters and/or got very low grades. So, planning for the worst doesn't mean being hopeless. What it means is being willing to accept that things might not go as planned and being ready for that to happen. People aren't always available when you want them to be, even if you plan with them in advance. Technology can fail at any moment, often with little to no notice. Various social issues can and often do arise in each of our lives at very inopportune times. I could go on! The lesson here is: try to do things as quickly and as best as you can, but accept and plan for the fact that nothing ever runs as smoothly as it possibly could.
3 - Plan out EVERYTHING
Ok, so maybe you won't have the time or energy to plan out every single little detail. Still, there's value in planning ahead as much as you can. Something as simple as agreeing on scope ahead of time can really make a difference. For example, if I ask for “a few" different designs for a product logo and a designer I hired refuses to consider his work finished until he has twenty unique looks for me, that could involve a lot of wasted time. When I said a few, did I mean three, six, or ten? This goes for everything. The more you and your team understand what and how you're doing something, and the whys behind those questions, the more efficient you'll be.
As you may have noticed, the main idea here is planning out your time carefully. As I said, you never know what will happen. I'm not wishing any negativity on anyone, but you simply can't predict all of life's curveballs. Even with this chaos to deal with, you can still make the effort to be realistic. People tend to be overly-optimistic when they estimate how long it will take them to do something, even if they would give someone else longer. I'm not exactly sure why this is, although studies have been done on it. Just remember this fallacy when you plan. You're not perfect, you're not a productivity superhero, and you're not bad-luck-proof. And that's ok! This has been true for everyone who has ever accomplished something great. As you accomplish great things, simply remember that it is true for you as well. It's probably going to take longer than you think it will. Do everything you can to plan ahead and give yourself some wiggle room. We all need some wiggle in our lives!
References
Buehler, R., Griffin, D., & Ross, M. (1994). Exploring the “planning fallacy”: Why people underestimate their task completion times. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67, 366-381
http://psycnet.apa.org/journals/psp/67/3/366/
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