Why we should be more like Bob Ross

Bob Ross was incredible at estimating his time – down to the minute.

Many times, we try to estimate how long things will take us. But, as imperfect beings, we’re really bad at estimating how long things will take us to complete. Take this blog post, for instance – I’m currently writing it and recording it with a Loom (see below) to measure how long it actually takes to write this post. I estimate that it will take 15 minutes to finish.

Who was Bob Ross?

If you’re not familiar with Bob Ross, he was a prolific painter and had a show on PBS called The Joy of Painting.

On the show, he would paint for 30 minutes and always completed his paintings in the given time slot. This is something that is showcased in the recent documentary that was launched on Netflix about his career and process for painting.

What’s the takeaway?

We have to get better at estimating our time to complete tasks. Bob Ross set the bar high, and we can all meet it – we just have to try.

What’s the best way to do so?

Calendar things in a maniacal way, use a stop watch, or even record yourself on Loom. These minor productivity hacks will help you to be more efficient with your time, and to build trust with others when you are able to estimate exactly how long tasks and initiatives will take.

Be like Bob.