Life is a Bell Curve

Ok, so you know that you are like Indiana Jones and time sheets are your snakes. But are time sheets big, scary boa constrictors for all of us, or do some of us think that time sheets are more like gardner snakes?

I have managed hundreds of consultants in my career, and I can say that we all don't feel the same amount of distain for the treaded time sheet. I haven't talked with anyone who likes time sheets, but some of us hate them less than others. Like most things in life, the level of hate falls along a continuum.

I fall along the far right...I am naturally detail oriented, long to be the A+ student, and pride myself on being thorough. While I don't enjoy time sheets, I see them as a necessary evil, and I have developed systems to help me keep accurate records of where I am spending my time throughout the week. My time sheets are submitted accurately and on time!

I have worked with a few consultants who are the exact opposite of me. They don't get it, they don't care, and they just don't do it. One of my consultants a few years ago had 6 weeks of time sheets outstanding (we didn't bill hourly). When I finally gave him the ultimatum, he had all 6 weeks submitted in 20 minutes...there is no way his time sheets were right. He made it all up.

Then there is everyone else. They get it, and they care, but so many other things take priority. They don't keep up. These folks spend on average, my market research indicates, 3-5 hours per week trying to keep track of their hours, doing the archeological dig through calendars, email, and files to recreate their week. They can't find it all and end up dumping a bunch of hours they know they worked but can't find into non-billable and billable projects without really knowing that the time is right. Its a burden, they hate it, and the data they submit, while better than the guys on the far left, is not accurate.

Where do you fit along this continuum? I'd love to hear from you. 

amulligan@sophity.com

@SophityPSA
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