TOW#603 — Deadlines
Each one of us, in one way or another, faces deadlines on a daily basis or, as I like to call them, ‘milestones’. They’re either set by us or by someone else.
But why are deadlines important and why do we set them?:
- To make sure we get something done — because it’s easy to put off or forget a job that has no agreed deadline. Deadlines help to avoid this.
- To encourage smooth workflow — deadlines, i.e. the achievement of (common) goals, help us to cooperate, organise and to keep complex projects on the right track.
- To set expectations — deadlines clarify what needs to be completed or delivered, and when. Thus, we’re able to take control of our work, avoiding any bother or confusion in the expectations of the other party.
In view of the above, it’s very important to be realistic when setting deadlines. Many times we get carried away and set goals that aren’t even theoretically achievable:
- You need to meet someone in Skopje, but you’re in Veles and still say: “I’ll be there in 20 minutes”!
- You give your colleague a bunch of reports/projects to check and you say: “please tell me by tomorrow which ones are good or not, whether they have the necessary documentation, and so on…”
It’s okay to sometimes be ‘unrealistic’ when setting deadlines, but even when you’re ‘unrealistic’ you should expect that the thing may not be done on time.
The important things to remember when setting deadlines:
1. Assess what you’re being asked to complete within the set deadline;
2. Who should do the job, i.e. can you do it by yourself or do you need a team? If you need a team, do you have the right one/are you part of the right team, or does the team (its members) need some education first;
3. Plan the whole process, in detail, and I would even recommend (depending on the length and size of the task) dividing the entire process into smaller deadlines;
4. Despite your strong commitment and effort to complete the job on time, some deadlines will be missed, and one thing I’d recommend is to do everything in your power to minimise the damage that may come from missing the deadline.
Yes, there are many things to consider when setting deadlines and that’s the biggest reason why many people firstly don’t like them, and secondly, out of ignorance, miss them, and if that happens too often then the whole point of deadlines is lost. Don’t be one of those people, but start working with deadlines properly today and get better every day at hitting them!
Wishing you success in hitting deadlines,
@kalinbabusku
Member of the Team
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