Project Hacks: 8 Tips To Meet Your Deadlines (Without Going Crazy)

“Time is a created thing. To say ‘I don’t have time,’ is like saying, ‘I don’t want to.” Lao Tzu

No matter what your industry, experience, or tenure, you’ve probably missed a deadline at some point or another…because we all have. Running behind with a deadline can mean days and weeks of stress, anxiety, and utter chaos in your world as you grow gloomy about the consequences and what they may entail. And as your company grows, chances are that you’ll need to become a “timeline guru” in order to keep up with the daily demands that come with scaling a business.

The KEY to making all of your deadlines is to ensure that you first know the scope of the work you’re doing before committing to it. Once that’s noted, you’re able to properly assess how much time you’ll need for completion.

But of course, projects sometimes have a quirky way of suddenly going left on us don’t they? While they may do so for various reasons, there are certain steps that you can take to help shield yourself from many of them-all while keeping your process on track. Let’s take a look.

1. Map it Out

Kick things off by taking a day to map timelines and activities (include forecasted time estimates and all resources). Be sure to take any notes on vague tasks or resources that may be difficult to procure.

2. Create A Soft Deadline for Yourself

The soft deadline is your best friend. Giving yourself a buffer not only covers you when the unexpected happens, but it ramps up your productivity, resulting in you finishing tasks early- thus allowing more time for review.

3. Work Backwards

Sometimes seeing the end helps to visualize and lay out what needs to be done to get there. Try starting with the end result of your project and what key factors allow for it, then begin to lay out the activities needed for those to be completed, and so on.

4. Establish Dependencies

Make a list of ALL of your priorities and their prerequisites. Be sure to acknowledge which tasks are dependent on other completed tasks and always estimate their due dates. Next, list all High Priority items, their resources, and assign them to the correct team members for execution.

5. Group Activities By Amount Of Focus (i.e. Easy/Hard)

Always try to plan out adequate blocks of time for work that may require longer, more intent focus. Also, think of effective ways to squeeze in “easy work” throughout your day such as filing or following up on correspondence.

6. Establish Communication Practices

A well-formulated communication plan and applicable tools will definitely help make your team’s internal communications more effective. Consider various aspects of your team’s communication such as weekly meeting days & times, how tasks and responsibilities will be delegated, who’ll take meeting minutes, and what program(s) the team will use to communicate to build a strategy that’ll help to keep projects on track.

7. Highlight Significant Events (aka Milestones)

When a large leg of work is completed acknowledge it and check it off your activities list as you transition into your next phase of the project. Milestones create visibility for the entire project team (and stakeholders) regarding the projects’ development.

8. Remove All Distractions While In“Work Mode”-including but not limited to the following:

· Phone calls and texting

· Internet browsing and Social media activities

· Taking frequent breaks for snacking and smoking

· Answering non-priority emails as soon as they appear

· Chatting (or gossiping) with staff or online with friends

Lastly, avoid procrastinating with kicking off your project, as it’s a certifiable way to dig yourself into a quarry of remorse as new developments occur that may require more time or resources than anticipated. Work to get activities done ahead of time if possible-remember, the soft deadline is your best friend!

Wait! Don’t go yet!!

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Simone Michaud 🖋

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A wannabe. Freelance Writer | Marketing Pro | CAPM | Background Dancer...sike. How I Made $2k My 1st Month Freelance Writing 👉 https://gumroad.com/l/BOpML

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