Whoops! I fell in the planning fallacy trap.
Did you ever sit down to complete a new or difficult task and think, "Hm. I'm not sure about this, but I can knock it out in an hour." It then takes you almost three hours to finish. You feel frustrated as you remark, "Wow. That took a lot longer than I expected." Why does this happen?!
Basically, it's common to underestimate how long a task may take because we're optimistic about our ability to achieve it, i.e., we show an optimism bias. This phenomenon is called the planning fallacy. Check out more here.
You may be having the same reaction I did when I read about this in Finish by Jon Acuff. I thought, "There's a name for that?!" In fact, I continued to chuckle because I also struggle with the OPPOSITE: I overestimate how long a task takes and then use that entire time to finish it. For example, I'll think, "Hm. This should take me an hour to do." But I neglect to factor in my experience or skill set and finish it in half an hour. Then, I fret about it, thinking I must have overlooked something because why didn't it take me an hour?! Ugh, perfectionism.
I'm writing about this because I recently fell into the planning fallacy trap. It's why I haven't released any more interviews in my series. The planning fallacy? I thought to myself, "Gee. I've never edited videos, but it should probably take me an hour to edit a 20-25 minute interview." <Insert hyena-like laughter here.>
Uh, color me wrong. I had NO IDEA how difficult or time-consuming it is to upload a video, "trim" it, create settings, a title, and description, and then "rinse and repeat" for every single video. It takes HOURS. It's painstaking. I was optimistic and did not account for my lack of training or experience, not to mention, I am the most geriatric of all millennials when it comes to tech.
I let my enthusiasm get ahead of me. I announced the interview series because I was JAZZED about interviewing Mirna Santiago of Girls Rule the Law. (How amazing is she?!) I had spoken to other potential guests and had them tentatively scheduled and was PUMPED. But now, I've stalled. I don't have the time or experience to handle the video editing and need help. And that's ok, I will get there and find someone to assist. But I share this here now with you all so you can learn from my mistakes.
My unsolicited advice? Double or triple your estimate to complete tasks you haven't done before. If they take you even more time, no worries. Don't get frustrated or give up! The planning fallacy is real. And if they take you less to complete, go you! Don't overthink it and doubt yourself.
I have to say, this experience touches on my favorite topics: authenticity, perfectionism, and productivity. I love it when worlds collide! And thank you for your patience -- I promise, more interviews with fascinating folks are coming. Eventually.
So... anyone know a good video editor?! :-)
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