Stick to your task or stick to your schedule?
Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 2:38PM | Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D. 
We face this decision many times each day. What should you do when you come to the end of your allotted time, but you’re not quite done with your task? This problem may occur early in the morning, when it’s time to leave for work or school, but you’re in the midst of a non-essential task. Or when you’re in mid-task at work, but it’s time to go to a meeting or class. You begin to bargain with yourself. I'd really like to get this done. It won't matter if I'm a few minutes late.... And then 5 minutes becomes 20 minutes, and you're late again.
What’s the best thing to do when you’re out of time but have not yet completed the task at hand? Sticking to your task may seem like the best decision at the time. Just a couple more minutes, and you can have the satisfaction of checking that task off your mental to-do list. But you’re probably making your decision with a very short-term view rather than thinking about your larger plan for the day.
Working overtime on one task has a cascading negative effect on your schedule as well as the schedules of others. You may need to make multiple emails or phone calls to explain why you can’t meet other commitments on time. And then there's the negative message to your colleagues that your agenda is more important than commitments you've made to them. Not to mention the need to reschedule the tasks that go undone because you spent more time on earlier tasks. Unless your task is truly urgent, it’s usually best to stick to your schedule rather than stick to your task. Learn to tear yourself away on time, and reschedule the final steps of your incomplete task. You'll find that your days are less stressful, and your new on-time policy will be welcomed by everyone you kept waiting in the past!
The Skoach Approach
If you rarely complete a task when it’s time to move to the next one, you are probably underestimating task duration. When you schedule tasks in Skoach, try increasing the time you estimate for each task by 15 minutes until you see a pattern of on-time task completion.
Another Skoach approach is to leave a little “wiggle room” between schedule
d tasks. For example, try leaving 15 minutes of unscheduled time between each scheduled task during your day. The Auto Plan tool can be configured to “space out” tasks by a specified amount of time. Just click on “Preferences” to set a comfortable between-tasks buffer.
Alternatively, schedule regular "catch-up" time as a recurring task on your schedule. For example, try scheduling a half-hour of "catch-up" time at the end of the morning, before lunch, and again at the end of the day. You will find that your day runs more smoothly, and you’ll finish the day feeling more accomplished!
So, change your mantra from "Always late, but worth the wait," to "On time and feeling fine!"
Time Management Questions
Do you have a pressing life management question? Send it to KNadeau@skoach.com.
Reader Comments (7)
I found this article helpful.
I also find that when I try to rush to complete a task that's gone overtime, the quality of the final details or even the task as a whole ends up being sub-standard. Better is to reschedule a new time to complete the task and do it with a full mind. I definitely feel more satisfied with a task well done rather than one that was rush-completed.
Thanks for the great article. Just seeing the "wiggle-room" time and catch-up time mentioned reminds me that I need to change my schedule to plan for these much needed "events". I still struggle with "this will take less than 10 minutes" interruption that winds up costing me an hour or more of productive time...
I found this article to be helpful as well. I constantly struggle with completing tasks, especially in a timely manner. Most of the time this is due to over-the-top perfectionism, and the belief that I can always improve something that is probably already good enough.
Setting firm time limits and deadlines for myself helps to mitigate the negative effects (emotional, stress, consequences of over due items) of my perfectionistic tendencies and behaviors.
However... I still find it extremely difficult (if not often all together impossible) to stick to any self-imposed schedule or limits. Externally imposed schedules and time guidelines only fare marginally better.
I'm working on it though!
Best of luck to everyone,
Sara
It is such a relief to read that I am not alone in having a difficult time keeping to a schedule and also being perfectionistic about what I do so that everything takes more time than it should.
I struggle a lot with my job because constant interruptions and reprioritizing are a part of what I do. In such an environment, I rarely get done half of what I plan to do. I have cut it to one or two goals for the day and do not schedule these for specific times. I will continue to strive to learn how to organize and not be sidetracked too far off of my goals for the day. Any thoughts??
Thank you so much for your articles. They have made a big difference in my life! Diane
Diane,
I find that writing a "Do This and ONLY This Right Now!" list (strictly limited to one or two tasks, possibly broken down into smaller steps to be crossed off individually) helps me tremendously. I have a small dry erase board near my desk where I write lists of tasks that sometimes appear overly simple and obvious (at home, for example, I write out my morning routine so that I don't get side tracked and start doing other things.)
This mini-list works well in conjunction with a larger plan of action and goals for the day. Say, if I need to clean my home office, do laundry, and clean my bathroom, each of those tasks is broken down into smaller "Right Now" lists. I try to make sure that each mini-list can be completed in a short period of time (15 - 30 minutes), that way I set more reasonable expectations and goals.
Also, if I am feeling PARTICULARLY distracted one day, I will also write out a "I Will NOT..." list. So, if I am cleaning off my desk, my "Anti-To-Do list" includes: "I will NOT check my email, I will not re-read old letters, I will not obsessively color-code and tag documents and folders, I will not start another project until X is done" etc.
Hope this helps!
Sara
I second Abie. Sara, MarK Forster is famous for this NOT To Do list. Reading yours was very interesting. This article and the others are so good, and Though I have improved a lot in past six years they are having a good efffect on me. I receive a lot of newsletters about time management tips, but I think K. Nadeau's tips are amog the best ever, at least for me.
Sara,
Thanks for the tip! I will try your recommendation both at home and work. I can see where this really simplifies things and keeps things on track. I just read the newest article about "See Task, Do Task" and together with your suggestions, I will be better able to get things done. Diane