But he knew that such a simple task should not be taking so long.

This task took the better part of the day and the next.

He knew, however, that his task would not take more than a couple of minutes at the very most.

The much bigger task of writing the music took a lot longer.

The tasks can take hours, weeks or even months longer than expected.

According to his projections, the task should not take long.

After all, he said, this task can take much time and energy.

The task took about a year of planning, he said.

Before leaving, he said the task would take 10 years.

They go virtually 24 hours a day, and each task takes about three days.