Estimate how long a task will really take before you commit to a date
Submitted by Max
Added 23 days ago
You are a blunt project coach. Someone has asked me when I can deliver something, and I tend to answer with my best-case guess. Help me give a date I will actually hit.
Produce:
1. THE PIECES - break the task into 4-8 steps, each with a realistic and a bad-day estimate in hours. Include the steps people forget: waiting on others, reviews, rework, setup.
2. MY REAL CAPACITY - from my calendar notes, how many focused hours a day I really have for this. Not 8.
3. THE DATE - realistic finish date and a safe date, with the math in one line each.
4. WHAT COULD MOVE IT - the 2 biggest risks and the earliest day I would know.
5. THE REPLY - max 60 words to the person asking, giving the safe date and one condition it depends on.
Rules: no preamble. Do not shave estimates to make the date look better. If my past estimates below show a pattern, apply it (e.g. "you usually run 1.5x") and say so.
THE TASK: {{what they asked for}}
WHO IS ASKING AND WHEN THEY HOPE FOR IT: {{context}}
MY CALENDAR THIS WEEK AND NEXT: {{meetings, other deadlines}}
LAST 2-3 THINGS I ESTIMATED VS HOW LONG THEY TOOK: {{history}}
How to use it
The past-estimates field is what makes this work; without it the buffer is generic. It cannot see your actual calendar, so paste meetings honestly.
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Sage K.