Your capacity ceiling is where strong output stops…

When This Fires

• Measuring your daily capacity for planning purposes (see Plan from your average capacity, not your best day — five…)
• When work output seems to degrade in the afternoon despite continued effort
• After noticing that late-day work frequently needs revision the next morning
• During any capacity measurement exercise where hours alone don't tell the full story

Common Failure Mode

Counting all hours as equal capacity. "I worked 7 hours today" — but hours 5-7 produced output that will need rework tomorrow, effectively wasting those hours plus the rework time. Quality-blind hour counting overestimates capacity by 30-50% for most knowledge workers.

The Protocol

During capacity measurement: (1) After each 60-90 minute work block, rate output quality: strong (would ship as-is), acceptable (adequate with minor polish), or weak (needs significant revision). (2) Track the cumulative hour mark when quality shifts from strong to acceptable, and from acceptable to weak. (3) After 5 days, identify the pattern: at what cumulative hour does strong output typically end? (4) Use that number — not total hours worked — as your planning capacity. Plan for strong output; let acceptable output be bonus capacity absorbed by your buffer.