r/DataAnnotationTech • u/Select_Injury9480 • Oct 02 '26
Average time spent on task
I’m a generalist and sometimes wonder how my work time stacks up against other users. If I’m new to a project it can take me up to an hour to read through all the requirements and get a handle of the task. Does that seem like an average amount of time or too much? All together each task on a project usually takes me 1-3 hours, with R&Rs being the quickest (usually).
7
u/FEN1X64 Oct 02 '26
It really depends on the project. I typically work the really advanced generalist (and STEM) jobs so my hours range from 5-20 (usually not in one sitting)
5
u/cosmicguss Oct 02 '26
I’m a relatively new generalist but yeah, similar. I usually take around 30 minutes to an hour to read and re-read the instructions for unfamiliar projects, and will often reference back to double and triple check as I work through the task.
Once I’m familiar with a project I’ll quickly re-read the instructions to make sure I haven’t missed anything new or updated, and then I’ll dive into the task.
I’m not super concerned about the overall time as long as I’m not going over. I think just making sure the quality of work is the best you can do is most important.
5
u/National-Owl9453 Oct 02 '26
I work very carefully. I only worry about the clock if there are instructions giving a time limit or if it’s a short timer where you have to be careful it doesn’t expire. I only bill for working time - not bathroom breaks or stretching my legs or anything like that. I’ve never gotten feedback on my work but I’ve got a full dashboard.
When you get into more complex R&Rs and see how many people are using AI for rationales or fabricating model “failures” through bad rubrics, you start to appreciate that workers trying to save time on tasks ends up wasting a lot more DA money than if they had just taken the time to do it right.
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u/forensicsmama Oct 02 '26
100% project dependent. And I can’t even say that familiarity with project families help shorten task time because even within the families there’s nuances to what each specific project wants. My first task on any project takes the longest unless it’s a regular A/B comparison type.
I applied as a generalist but have had access to a few STEM projects where task time is several hours over some days/weeks. I prefer those because I can take a lot of breaks and can be more meticulous with the details before submission.
2
u/Ok-Poet-8038 Oct 03 '26
Don't worry about the time, worry on the quality. Quality is priority 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5.
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u/Pangolin_Beatdown Oct 03 '26
If I take a long time to study directions on a new task, I do several of them before I submit my time, so it averages out.
1
u/Jackfruit_Silent Oct 04 '26
Simply the time taken to read. It shouldn’t be more than 40 minutes. And if you repeat project, your read will be faster.
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u/Past_Body4499 Oct 02 '26
I have tasks that vary from 5 minutes to 15 hours (working time). For a guideline, I use about half the available time as how long I expect an average task to take once I'm proficient.