Some women will become very frustrated, and at times overwhelmed, if their labour is going on longer than they anticipated. A common question asked of caregivers is "How much longer?" Any caregiver who gives you a definitive answer to this is either giving you false hope if they say soon, or undermining your confidence if they say hours away. In truth they don't know for sure, they can only guess (women surprise us every day!)
If you aim for a specific time frame, you could be setting yourself up for disappointment, with the feelings of failure and guilt that can be associated with this. You can't control it, and neither can anyone else. It has been said the best asset a caregiver can have when caring for women in labour is patience. This is not to say at some point either the caregiver (or the woman) may need to say 'enough is enough' and consider intervention.
Try and stay with the here and now, not how it may be in a couple of hour's time. The intensity of labour does ebb and flow. It becomes intense, you change position or use the shower or bath, release endorphins, and then it becomes tolerable again. Don't panic if you feel you aren't coping at 3- 4 cms dilation. This does not mean you won't at 7, 8 or 9 cms. Some contractions will be unbearably intense, but the few that follow will generally be more tolerable. Take one contraction at a time. Cover up the clocks, take your watch off and let go of the time!
Working with the labour you are having, not the one you would like to have
It can be incredibly disheartening if you are having an internal battle with wanting your labour to be different. No matter how prepared you are, and how many ways you envisage your 'fantasy' labour, it will inevitably be different from what you expect. If you have the philosophy of 'whatever will be, will be' then you should deal with these differences reasonably well.