The thought of a looming deadline has a unique effect on each of us. Some get to work long before work is due, some procrastinate till the last minute, and some shut down completely. There are different reasons why we do this, too. While some projects are hard, boring, difficult, or have unreasonable deadlines, lack of organization and time management skills top the list of why we don’t manage to turn in work on time. So, without further ado, here are some time management tips to help us beat work deadlines:
1. Don’t bite off more than you can chew
Take a realistic look at the project and the amount of work that you have to put into it. Adjust accordingly. Ask yourself: Do I have to put other tasks on the back burner? Will I need to work through weekends? Will this take too much of my time? If a task is eating up too much of your resources, then ask for a more realistic deadline or an extension.
2. Have visual reminders of work deadlines
Yes, we still use post-its. However, there are other creative ways to keep reminders of looming deadlines. For example, you can set your screensaver to say “project deadline: March 28.” You can also set calendar reminders on your phone or your desktop. Google Calendar has excellent notification features to help you with this. The point of a visual reminder is not to give you anxiety, but to help you manage your time better. If you catch yourself slacking off or getting distracted, these visual cues will remind you to stay on track.
3. Break tasks into smaller pieces
A deadline means that all the work has to be completed by said date. You have the freedom to allocate your time in between. So, feel free to schedule work according to your workflow. For example, you have to create content for a blog post which entails some research, design, and of course, writing work. If the deadline is at the end of business day, Friday, you can create timeblocks for all the tasks involved in getting the work done by Friday. Allocate Monday and Tuesday for research, design on Wednesday, and writing on Thursday. This leaves you with enough time to polish it off by Friday and still have time to work on tasks in between.
4. Learn to delegate
Don’t assume to complete every portion of a project. If time is short, learn to delegate. Maybe you can get some help on research. Maybe you can pass on the design work to others who can do a better job at creating beautiful images. Maybe you can enlist someone else’s help on copy-editing. Look for areas where you can delegate work.
5. Set hard stops (and starts)
Start when you say you will and end when you say you will. The time blocking method teaches you to work within the amount of time you set for yourself to finish the work. Anything beyond that will leave you open to distractions and may lead to unproductivity
What are your tried and tested deadline beating methods? Share them with us in the comments. Remember to work smart and be a blessing to someone today. Stay safe and healthy!
Written by Jaie O. TheHelp