Your Brain Is a Horrible Time Manager
Here’s a New Way to Outsmart It
Last week, I put off sorting the laundry for three days.
Not because I couldn’t do it.
Not because I didn’t have time.
But because my brain told me it would take forever.
You already know how this ends.
When I finally forced myself to start?
Seven minutes.
Seven.
As in, I could’ve knocked it out while waiting for my tea to cool.
As in, I spent 100x more time thinking about it than actually doing it.
And this isn’t just a laundry problem.
Your Brain Is a Drama Queen About Time
Your brain is out here convincing you that:
The dishes will take 30 minutes (they’ll take 10).
That email will take 45 minutes (you’ll finish it in 5).
That work project will take your entire afternoon (you’ll be done in 40 minutes).
So what happens?
You avoid. You procrastinate. You mentally carry the weight of an undone task for days even though, in reality, it could have been over before your next snack break.
This is why you feel overwhelmed all the time.
Not because you have too much to do.
But because your brain has tricked you into believing that everything takes longer than it actually does.
And turns out? This isn’t just a you problem.
Psychologists call this the Planning Fallacy.
It’s our brain’s habit of getting time estimates completely wrong even when we’ve done the task before.
That’s why you know the laundry won’t take long, but you still act like it’s a part-time job.
Now, the fact that laundry is a never-ending task is a whole other issue. But let’s not spiral.
One battle at a time…
My New Favorite Game
I got curious.
I started tracking how long I thought tasks would take vs. how long they actually took.
Here’s what happened:
Task Estimated Time Actual Time
Work Project #1 2 hours 17 mins
Work Project #2 1 hour 37 mins
Work Project #3 1.5 hours 45 mins
Y’all.
My Time Drama Index was 172% (nearly 2.7×)
Meaning?
If a task actually took 1 hour, my brain estimated it would take on average 2.7 hours.
No wonder I always felt like I didn’t have enough time.
I wasn’t running out of time. I was just terrible at estimating it.
So I turned it into a game called “How Wrong Am I?”:
📌 Step 1: Write down a task you’ve been avoiding.
📌 Step 2: Guess how long it’ll take.
📌 Step 3: Set a timer and do the thing.
📌 Step 4: Write down how long it actually took.
Do this for a week.
Your brain will humble you.
More Energy, Less Stress
When you stop believing your own Time Drama Index:
✅ You stop procrastinating.
✅ You stop feeling guilty for procrastinating.
✅ You stop carrying stress over things that aren’t even hard.
And most importantly?
You build momentum.
You feel lighter.
You realize there’s actually enough time to do what matters once you stop believing the lie.
Your Brain Lies. The Clock Tells the Truth.
Try it today.
Pick one thing you’ve been avoiding.
Guess how long it’ll take.
Set a timer.
Do it.
Then laugh at how wrong you were.
I promise—it’ll change how you move through your day.
And if you want to track your results?
I’ve created a simple tool to help you do just that.
Now go prove your brain wrong. 🚀
Let’s Make Time Work for You (Not Against You)
If you’re tired of feeling like you never have enough time, I see you.
But here’s the thing…
You probably have more time than you think.
Your brain just isn’t doing you any favors in how it feels.
I help busy working moms figure out what actually matters and how to make space for it without the overwhelm, without the pressure to “do more.”
If that sounds like something you need, I’d love to help.
Because life doesn’t have to feel this heavy. And we don’t have to overcomplicate every little thing (even though our brains will definitely try).
Time Drama Index %. Accurate 😂🫠