One of the biggest challenges in managing IT projects is understanding the actual time available for focused, heads-down work. While an 8-hour workday and a 40-hour workweek may imply ample time, the reality is far more complex.
This article provides a data-informed perspective on the productive time available to a single IT team member, such as a Network Engineer, in one quarter. Using that time, I will compare the time required for an example project and some recommendations.
Do You Know How Much Time Is Truly Available Each Week for Deep Work?
Most IT professionals spend a significant portion of their week in meetings: team syncs, project updates, administrative sessions, and cross-functional calls.
Of an 8-hour day, how many are productive? Through my research, I found many articles, studies, and surveys that provided this information. Some of the information comes from prominent figures in IT and business. Surprisingly, most of the data shows that the average number of productive hours in an 8-hour day is 3 hours!
I’ve worked with IT teams for over 20 years, and I highly doubt anyone I work with or have worked with is only putting in 3 hours! Further research, including surveys and studies, indicates that an “engaged IT professional” averages 6 hours of productive time.
In this example, we found that the average IT team member spends 16 hours/week in meetings and non-production tasks.
That leaves only 24 hours/week, or roughly 3 full days, for actual heads-down project work. But that’s not the whole story.
Available Workdays in Q2 2025 (Realistic Scenario for 1 Team Member)
Starting from the base of 65 business days (Mon–Fri):
- -1 holiday (Memorial Day)
- -11 PTO days (estimated for the time of year)
- -8 half-day Fridays (equivalent to 4 full days lost)
- If half-day Fridays are not used at your company, then other times will apply (sick, PTO, bereavement, jury duty, etc.)
- = 49 adjusted workdays
- Assuming 6 hours/day of productive time (see previous section): 294 hours total
- Subtract 208 meeting/admin hours (16/week x 13 weeks)
- = 86 hours of actual production time
- = 10.75 full 8-hour productive days in Q2
Visualizing Q2: Where the Time Goes
The chart below illustrates how holidays, PTO, half-day Fridays, and meetings consume the majority of a quarter. What initially appears to be 49 potential workdays quickly reduces to about 11 actual heads-down days.
But Here’s the Catch:
Even these 10–11 days don’t include: – Sick time, bereavement, jury duty, parental leave, – emergency issues or outages, – ad hoc meetings, – administrative tasks like timesheets, tickets, email, and training. To name a few.
So, the realistic estimate of available heads-down days might be closer to 6–8 days per quarter. Eight days will be used in a project example below.
Case Example: One team member, one project in one quarter
This example project is from my experience years ago with an employer where I was a contributor to this project management methodology. This time (days) in this example is based on experience.
| Task | Time (Days) | Notes |
| HW Setup | 3 | Setup, config, disassembly, packing, shipping |
| Travel | 1 | Flight, to/from airport |
| On-site (deployment) | 3 | Hardware install and testing |
| Post Install | 3 | Config, testing, troubleshooting, remediation |
| Total | 10 | Conservative estimate; actual time could be 12–15 days |
Comparison with Time Available
- Estimated Time for Project: 13 days (avg. of 12–15)
- Time Available (Q2): 8 days (realistic productivity)
- Shortfall: – 5 days
This means a single project can exceed the total productive time available in a quarter for one resource (individual contributor). And that’s not accounting for other responsibilities or unplanned work.
Plan with Reality, Not Theory
Most of us have done personal financial budgeting — so why not apply the same principles to project resources? Just as we ask ourselves whether we can afford a purchase today or need to wait and save, we should assess whether we have the capacity to take on a project now or plan it for a later quarter. Budgeting our time and resources provides a clear picture of today’s limits and tomorrow’s potential.
I ran the previous paragraph through AI, which provided this quote, and I found it to have a substantial impact, especially as a leader.
“Personal finance teaches us discipline: you don’t spend what you don’t have. Project planning should follow the same rules. Leaders must budget resources like they budget money, balancing immediate needs with future investments. This approach ensures teams aren’t overdrawn and projects remain sustainable.”
Final Thoughts
When building project timelines and allocating tasks, it’s crucial to factor in the actual time available for execution. When planning projects/tasks based on theoretical availability, the result is often frustration, missed deadlines, and team fatigue. There can be other consequences, such as poor morale and a decline in the quality of work.
Recommendations:
- Track meeting time and remove those that add little or no value.
- Ask team members to regularly total the time they spend in different types of meetings.
- Be intentional about meeting invites—use the “Required” and “Optional” fields to respect people’s time.
- Block and protect heads-down time in calendars.
- Account for hidden time drains (emails, admin tasks, emergencies, ad hoc requests).
- Use real productivity data, not assumptions, to plan projects.
- Adjust workload expectations each quarter based on actual capacity.
This is not an exhaustive list, but it’s a strong starting point. In my experience, when we first introduced this methodology, it took nearly six months before we began to see measurable results. The benefits weren’t immediate, but the long-term payoff was worth the effort.
By grounding plans in realistic productivity estimates and practicing transparent resource planning, leaders can better align capacity with expectations—and ultimately enable their teams to deliver more consistently and sustainably.
Want to know more? This article complements another I wrote on this subject.
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