Never Miss a Deadline Again!

Some people just seem to make planning look easy. They’re always on top of projects, never miss a deadline and always end up looking good. How do they do it? It’s all about planning. Planning is the critical tool that makes everything work and keeps us on track, no matter how stressful the day, week or month. When you know the secrets to prioritizing, planning, setting goals and meeting deadlines, you look like a superstar. Just as important, you feel calm, cool and collected while doing it!

First, decide whether you really have a deadline or a “target date.” The two are different…

• A deadline is a set date or time: Missing it means no longer needing to focus on it. Once it’s past, there’s no going back. Example: A reporter has a deadline to have a story ready for the 5 o’clock news.

• A target date is a goal for completion: Missing the goal may have consequences, but the work must still be completed

Next, do the following:

• Determine the urgency: What is the impact of the project? Increased urgency often means more people, money or other resources may be required. Other tasks may have to be set aside or pushed back on the schedule. Is this really an urgent deadline?

• Write it down: Have you ever wondered why some people are more successful in meeting goals and deadlines than others? They know how to track their goals and deadlines. They don’t rely on their minds or memories; they put it in writing and use reminders to stay on track. Writing it down is part of the all-important planning process.

• Be realistic: If your deadline or target date is un-achievable in reality, you are setting yourself up for failure and disappointment, as well as putting the expectations of others at risk. You and your team should be able to meet the due date without working an abundance of overtime or letting other responsibilities fall by the wayside.

• Reward carefully: Reward yourself and your team for a job well done. But be careful the reward doesn’t encourage cutting corners. Then it’s not a reward for good work but an incentive to take shortcuts.

It also a good idea to schedule for a last-minute crisis-

• Leave 10% – 20% of your schedule open

• Set aside a block of time each day for emergency meetings, unexpected tasks or sudden schedule changes

Most people would probably agree with the old adage “There aren’t enough hours in the day.” You can’t change the number of hours in a day, but you can change how you use your time during those available hours.