Sometimes it takes 2 days to do 2 hours of work

I hear this all the time:

“I could get that done in a few hours, easy”

“I could whip that up in 2 seconds”

So what? Instead of bragging about how awesome people should think you are because of how fast you say you can get things done, how about you ask some questions?

“When do you need it done by?”

“Do we have time to improve this other widget to make fixing your thing easier?”

We are so focused on trying to crank out as much as we possibly can, we sometimes think it’s better to talk about how quickly we can get things done. Instead, under commit & over deliver. If you have 2 days to get something done and you only need 1/2 day – spend some time improving something that will make *your* life easier. Understand what the expectations are before you commit & see if you can get in some extra benefit. If you hit a snag & end up taking 2 days to finish then nobody is disappointed, but if you don’t then you get some extra work done & still meet expectations.

I know folks prefer accurate estimates & like to fill your day with the stuff they want done – but don’t complain that you can’t get your stuff done if you aren’t under committing once in a while.