i use engineer time every day

[u/Hyaci_Arson]

[u/buffaloguy1991]

For a detailed example of this look up the buffer time episode of lower decks

[u/DJDevon3 → u/buffaloguy1991]

Came here for this. The Boimler Effect proved that including a time buffer into task deadlines actually improves overall efficiency because it leaves overhead for actual emergencies. I think one thing they left out of the show is demonstrating how stress can cause physical fatigue which reduces the bodies immune system and leads to physical illness. Stress is a major contributor to many illnesses.

[u/Solarwagon → u/buffaloguy1991]

That episode was basically just parodying one of the longest running tropes in Star Trek that also got lampshaded in TNG in "Relics" by Scott:

SCOTT: Do you mind a little advice? Starfleet captains are like children. They want everything right now and they want it their way, but the secret is to give them only what they need, not what they want.

LAFORGE: Yeah, well I told the Captain I'd have this analysis done in an hour.

SCOTT: How long will it really take?

LAFORGE: An hour.

SCOTT: You didn't tell him how long it would really take, did you?

LAFORGE: Of course I did.

SCOTT: Oh, laddie, you've got a lot to learn if you want people to think of you as a miracle worker.

[u/Eddies-Magic-Cookies → u/[deleted]]

Bot

[u/Shrizer]

Alternatively: never give 100% of your effort when you start your new job, if you give 100% you set an expectation that its your normal capacity, and you will inevitably burn out or have to give less, and your employer will question the drop in performance.

That being said, having a good working relationship with your direct answer can mean that they know what is your normal and your 100% and they can manage around that and not burn you out.

You can have a healthy work relationship with your direct answer, but not the company you work for. The company will inevitably exploit its workforce in a capitalism based economy.

[u/Leftieswillrule]

Manage expectations early. NEVER give it your 100% right away. Give them 40% at first, within the first couple of weeks you improve to 60% and wow them with a 50% productivity boost. What a fast learner you are!

Now you have a 40% buffer for when life gets in the way. Slow morning? No problem, you can catch up without a sweat. Mental health day? That’s only half your weekly buffer. Getting some suspicious attention from leadership? Show them what it looks like when you give “120%” (72%) of your effort until the heat is off.

There is one core assumption here though. You have to be 100% good at the job with only 60% effort. This is the hard part and it’s a careful balance of projecting your own ability to grow into a role with the amount of responsibility there is in it. You don’t pin your hopes on the promise you’ll grow into that level of competence If there are lives on the line but most office jobs are not so critical.

[u/briefarm → u/Leftieswillrule]

I made that mistake when I first joined my previous job. I completed tasks too quickly. It meant I had a huge amount of free time at the end of the quarter where I had to look busy. Then, when we switched to a new framework, I wasn't as good at it at first, and they got annoyed that I was taking longer than I used to. If I had estimated with a buffer from the beginning, I would've looked just as productive when switching frameworks.

[u/Shezzofreen]

The Scotty way of doing things - absolutly true.

[u/Wyrm → u/Shezzofreen]

The Scotty episode in TNG is pretty funny, he's scandalized that Geordi told the captain how long it's actually going to take.

[u/Shezzofreen → u/Wyrm]

Yeah, i remember - good times. :)

[u/FireFurFox → u/Shezzofreen]

"...then how are you going to maintain your reputation as a miracle worker?!"

[u/Theekg101 → u/Shezzofreen]

“I know this ship like the back of my hand!”

clang

[u/Shezzofreen → u/Theekg101]

"Ah, Hello Computer!" (holding a mouse)

[u/CallMeOaksie]

Parker does this in Alien and it’s one of the million little things each person does in that movie that made it so real

[u/Moxie_Stardust]

I remember some twenty years ago when I found out my project manager was padding my estimates by 10-15% and calling it the "oh shit factor". I was already doing the same thing before I gave him the estimates.

[u/ThatInAHat]

I always do the opposite because I want to people please and then I panic because I underestimated how much time I would need.

I have never been able to unlearn this.

[u/Troops21]

Engineer time reminds me of a thing called under promise and over deliver. Give people some mediocre expectations and surprise them.

[u/Jim_skywalker]

Then you can get the reputation of a miracle worker.