How to Avoid Organising Mistake #1

Yesterday I wrote about the 7 most common mistakes people make when tackling an organising project.  You can read that post here.

Top of that list was

Underestimate how long it takes to work through a project

So, how do you avoid that mistake?  There are a few steps you can take.

First, be realistic about what’s possible.  Consider all the variables like

• your level of commitment
• your ability to make quick decisions
• likely interruptions
• the size of the project
• the complexity of the project
• past success (or not) of other organising projects you’ve undertaken

Now take all that information and calculate a time, including breaks.

Now double that estimate.

Unless you have lots of experience with successful organising projects, it is far better to overestimate than underestimate.

Underestimating leads to frustration, disappointment, a half-finished job and more chaos.

Overestimating leads to time to put your feet up and enjoy the fruits of your labour.

Does this ring true for you?

Tags: complexity, frustration, Interruptions