How to Keep Up with Deadlines – UX Planet

Most people find it difficult to keep up with deadlines. Tasks are time sensitive, meeting the deadline of some tasks are as important as even finishing the task. Yet we struggle to keep to stated deadlines. Mind you the deadline I mean here are the realistic ones. When we struggle to meet realistic deadlines, we have nobody but ourselves to blame.

While it can be argued that deadlines make us feel anxious, increase stress, and our tempers run short, deadlines have their benefits. They reduce procrastination, get us to be more productive, focused, and set priorities. People question your reliability if you cannot meet deadlines; that’s why it is important to accept only tasks with realistic deadlines. The tips below will help you keep up deadlines and increase your productivity and reliability.

There are no two ways; if deadlines are not realistic, you are definitely not meeting them. If you’re opportune to set deadlines, make sure they are realistic and if possible, add buffer periods for a case where you face unexpected issues while working on the project. If you’re accepting a job, make sure the deadline for completion can be met to avoid unnecessary problems, putting your credibility at stake, and losing money.

I have learned the hard way. I have taken offers because I needed the cash and disregarded the deadlines and have had my bad experiences with taking such bad decisions. You’ll lose both clients and money, put yourself under unnecessary stress and pressure, which at the end might make you feel bad about the project.

It is often said that failure to plan is planning to fail. Planning has its place in ensuring that you meet deadlines. By planning, your brain had been tuned to know the series of tasks required to achieve your goal and is set on them even before you carry them out. In other words, planning prepares your mind for the task.

During the planning process, requirements and steps are determined. From the gathered information, you can tell if the task can be achieved or not. This is what planning does for you — and lack of it stops you from knowing. Do not mistake planning for doing. Do not spend the whole time planning for the task.

If you like, draw out perfect requirements, get the right resources but don’t start and you’re sure not to meet the deadline. Do not wait for tomorrow or next tomorrow before you start — start now. Even though you didn’t finish, your brain had been tuned into the task, and starting already gives you a head start in the task, which is what you need to finish the task.

Procrastination is the number one reason people do not start working immediately. You’ll probably shift the starting time again. Avoid falling for the statement that says task usually grows to fill up time. If this is the first time, the start is a principle that explains reason work that can be done in one hour ends up taking three hours because it’s still within the deadline.

When you have deadlines to meet, that’s when distractions come in to compete for time with the task. Distractions come in different forms. Regardless of the form, it comes in, maintain focus on the task you’re working on. Leave that game you intend playing, close your browser to avoid unnecessary surfing of the internet and if need be, explain to your partner while you’re better left alone for specific periods so you can maintain absolute focus.

By avoiding distractions, you are directly avoiding wasting time on other tasks. Time meant for coding that script shouldn’t be used for reading news; time meant for writing that article should also not be used for chatting with your partner. It’s that simple in words — putting it in action is the real deal. But if you’re able to put it in action, you’re sure to meet deadlines because you wasted no time along the way.

It is natural, requirements change. However, avoiding adding work to the one already decided. If you add more work, the probability you will meet the deadline is reduced. If requirements have changed and must be incorporated into the work, ask for adding time. More work should be matched with more time to enable you to meet the deadline.

Even though it is possible to revert some changes if you’re unable to finish just like in product design by using a version control system like plantapp.io, you shouldn’t even add it in the first place.

If for any reason you cannot meet the deadline agreed upon, do not wait until the time the work is expected before the owner knows. That makes you less professional and reliable. If you are certain you cannot meet a deadline, speak to your boss before time and let them know that the work won’t be ready on the specified date and time and ask for additional time.

By doing this, you face fewer problems with your boss, provided you do not make it a habit to ask for more time.

While it is not advisable to miss deadlines, it is absolutely fine to miss them. In fact, it happens often and might not even be your fault. We underestimate works and overestimate our potential, making us miss deadlines. If you never saw it coming earlier, speak to your boss and give them valid reasons you missed the deadline. If your reasons are valid enough, they should understand. After letting your boss know, you can ask for more time and make sure you do not miss again.

To make everyone happy, you can add a bonus. Their time had been wasted, and you need to compensate them for it even though they never asked for it. Most bosses won’t even ask for it, and it is completely fine to deliver just the work specified. However, if time is on your side and you can do more than the work expected so that it does not feel like time wasted. Again, do not force yourself to do this; else, you might end up missing the deadline again.

Source: Uxplanet.org

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