ClearTips: Riveting reports

How much time can you spend writing?

Writing, at least the writing of reports, is usually preceded by the separate processes of research and analysis. Keep that in mind when estimating the amount of time you will spend on a report. Also keep in mind that other things are sure to intrude on your time.

Here, too, people are imprecise:

As long as it takes

Compare that with:

First draft: 5 days, 8 hours a day, to be finished May 1.
Revised final draft: 3 days, 4 hours a day, to be finished May 15.

Give your estimate in clock time rather than calendar days, and think about multiplying that estimate by 2 or 3 to account for optimism and unexpected interruptions.

Because most people squeeze writing in at the end of the research-analysis-writing cycle, try to begin planning before you start writing, during the analysis and even the research, and include time for review and revision.

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