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The Art of Meeting Deadlines

发布时间:2018-06-12
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The Art of Meeting Deadlines

Whether a high school, college or university student, working in a company or self-employed; we often have to meet deadlines. Depending on the nature of an assignment or the number of days given to complete it, sometimes it becomes extremely difficult to meet a deadline. But not meeting a deadline can even be worse. It can provoke the ire of your boss or your professor, whichever maybe the case. Late completion of an assignment can result in lower grades or getting fired due to slackness on your part. According to Leo Sun, an accomplished finance writer and market follower, “An employee who fails to be punctual and achieve deadlines is no more than a broken cog in a machine, and will be quickly replaced.” (Sun)

The question is, how can you meet deadlines without staying up all night and ruining your health? If you develop the knack to manage your time and tasks accordingly, deadlines will cease to be a big deal. There are certain techniques which can be employed to deliver quality work on time, without overburdening yourself with work.

DO NOT COMPROMISE

It is better to first determine if the deadline being imposed on you is realistic or unrealistic. According to Alyssa Gregory, a small-business collaborator, it is sensible to “ask directed questions to get to the specifics” and not make any commitment, “until you are confident that you know what you’re getting into.” (Gregory)

If you are asked to complete a certain project or assignment in an unreasonable timeframe, it is wise not to comply with any such demand. Let them know that such a deadline would be virtually impossible to meet and give your reasons for it.

LAY OUT A PROPER SCHEME

When we are inundated with challenging tasks and required to meet deadlines, the first impulse is to start working right away. However, without proper planning, things can get out of hand. According to Michele Lazarus, who is a project management trainer, “Planning is key to meeting project deadlines. It takes time of course, but it’s time well spent.” (Thompson)

The question is, how to lay-out a workable plan? Whether you are working individually or leading a team, the process of planning will more or less remain the same.

Splitting the Project into Small Tasks. In this step, you will need to jot down all the individual tasks which will lead to the completion of your project or assignment. You may want to list them in a chronological order or in order of preference, whichever works best for you.

Making Estimates. The next step is to determine which of the individual tasks will demand more time. These will require your immediate attention. In this step, you will also need to distribute the amount of time you will spend on the completion of each of these individual tasks. According to Susan Kihn; a Resume Services Manager and owner of a recruitment business, it is essential to leave some room for “unanticipated hurdles” and “unforeseen problems” while planning. (Kihn)

If you are working in a team, the next step is to distribute the tasks among your team members and give them a mini-deadline (Sun) . Even if you are dealing with the project independently, the same method will suffice. In this regard, Leo Sun states that, Failing to meet one of your own mini-deadlines should be regarded as a failure to meet the final deadline. (Sun) These small deadlines will keep you on your toes.

Considering Other Factors. If your project involves people other than your team members, you will have to plan everything out accordingly. Thalia Thompson, who is the author of many books on various subjects, advises us to adjust our timetable accordingly, saying that it is a grave mistake to think that others will make your “priority” their own. (Thompson)

EXECUTING THE PLAN

The plan will of course lose its significance without successful implementation, leading to failure in meeting the final deadline. To avoid such a failure, it is necessary to keep a strict check on your daily progress.

Play Some Mind Games. But how can you regulate your schedule and make sure that you meet all your “mini-deadlines”? A very useful way is to reward yourself after meeting one of your self-imposed deadlines. (Sun) It could be anything, a night out, a nice dinner or a gift for yourself. (Sun)

On the other hand, if you failed to meet your day’s task, stay up a whole night and leave your other activities until you are a bit ahead of your own drafted schedule. It is equally important to reward your team members, if you are in the lead. This will boost their morale and increase the energy level at work.

Solving Problems on the Way. You may face many obstacles before the successful completion of your project or assignment but this is what you signed up for. Instead of getting panicked, try to think of solutions and make changes in the original scheme of things, if necessary. If it is indispensible to alter a few things, have a discussion with your superiors about it. According to Sarah Warden, a freelance producer and project manager, If there’s a conversation that needs to be had, then it’s better to have it early. (Thompson)

Where Technology Comes Into Play. Even if you aren’t technology-savvy, you will need to use it for the timely completion of your project. For example, instead of writing things in a pad and making corrections in it, typing in MS Word will save a lot of time and energy. It is recommended to make the best use of all the technological means available, to meet your deadline.

According to Scott McGinty, who is a marketing professional and interested in instructional technology, Everyone needs to stay organized in order to complete their work in a quality way.” (McGinty) And technology can help you stay organized while enabling you to deliver your work on time.

COMPLETING EARLIER THAN NEEDED

While you are planning the whole project, it is extremely important to give yourself a mock deadline prior to the actual deadline. This mock deadline can be a week or a few days before the final deadline. Completing the project/assignment a few days earlier, will give you extra time to go over the whole thing again. If there are any discrepancies, you have now allotted yourself plenty of time to take whatever corrective action is necessary.

ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY

Once you have undertaken a specific project, then it becomes your responsibility to see it through to the end. Planning is important because it helps in the smooth completion of a project. But if and when you are required to put “extra hours”, do so. (Kihn)

Deadlines have the potential to shake-up even the most level-headed of us. But if you proceed with proper planning, you can efficaciously meet deadlines.

Works Cited

Sun, Leo. “5 Tips to Help You Meet Goals and Deadlines” BusinessDictionary.com n.d. Web. 28 June 2014

Gregory, Alyssa. “Seven Simple Steps to Meeting Deadlines” sitepoint 8 Sep. 2009 Web. 29 June 2014

Susan, Kihn . “How to Ensure that You Are Able to Meet Your Deadlines” CareerMiner 25 June 2013 Web. 30 June 2014

Thompson, Thalia. “How to Meet Deadlines” ideas tap 9 Dec. 2013 Web. 1 July 2014

McGinty, Scott. “5 Reasons to Keep Up With Technology in the Workplace” Position Ignition 13 March 2013 Web. 1 July 2014

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