Taking time as a measurement puts the focus on the wrong things. It focuses on the (time)frame rather than on the judgement and the effort to do work.
Peter Block quoted by Ed Kless on The Soul Of Enterprise [Starts at 12:15]
“All measurements are judgements in disguise.”
You can use time to judge the level of effort to be involved in what you do. From there, you can say No, delight or infuriate your customers.
Here are the 2 scenarios in play when judging a timeframe to inform your decisions:
It took me way more than expected.
- What’s the action to do?
- Do we need to fine-tune?
- Did we get the assignment?
- Did we misjudge (overestimated) our capabilities?
It took me way less than expected.
- Did we innovate?
- Did we get the assignment right?
- Did we complete the assignment?
- Did we misjudge (underestimated) our capabilities?
While time informs your judgement, don’t focus on it as a measurement tool. Rather focus on how efficient/effective you can be for your clients.
Focus on how you can help them move forward to get what they want.