Time buffer

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Summary

Plan from actual times for similar tasks, not the smoothest run. Include parking and getting inside in travel time.
A clear future calendar may hide routine demands. Add them back before deciding whether new plans will fit.

Ways to apply

On your own

Free, no special equipment to buy
1. Time a few repeats of an often-overrunning task, including waits and unexpected delays.
2. Use past times; leave a gap before fixed plans. Count travel through parking and walking inside.
3. Before agreeing to future plans, add routine demands back in and check that the gap remains.
4. Compare actual times with the plan, see what used up the gap, and adjust the next buffer.

Estimate time from records of actual durations

From a book

Ramsay and Rostain recommend timing recurring everyday tasks and using those records to help plan a schedule, rather than relying on impressions(Ramsay & Rostain, 2015).

Solanto’s treatment manual also includes exercises in estimating time and recording actual durations(Solanto, 2013).

Reaching the destination by car is not the end of the trip

From a book

In The Adult ADHD Tool Kit, Ramsay and Rostain warn that estimating travel at an ideal driving speed leaves out getting out the door, traffic, parking and waiting for elevators(Ramsay & Rostain, 2015).

They recommend allowing ample travel buffers and counting the trip through to entering the meeting place, leaving time for these easily overlooked steps(Ramsay & Rostain, 2015).

Even an empty future calendar needs room for routine demands

Research-backed

General-population experiments found that people typically expect more spare time in the future than they have now(Zauberman & Lynch, 2005). Next week’s calendar may look empty, but routine demands may remain.

Before accepting new plans, recurring demands can be added back in to check the remaining gaps. A distant date is no reason to fill time reserved for delays.

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