In a world driven by deadlines, we all must keep on track to meet them.
If you work for a company, failing to meet a deadline can negatively impact your work reputation.
Meanwhile, if you run your own business and miss deadlines, it can harm your overall success and potential collaborations with others.
Looking to brush up on some tips to raise your productivity and keep your deadlines? We wrote about some of our favorite and most-used tips.
1. Plan the necessary steps
Chances are, you often find yourself drowning under the weight of multiple deadlines at once.
If this sounds like you, first off, know that you’re not alone and second, we’re here to help.
When you receive a new project, your first step should always be taking the time to plan it out.
You shouldn’t start on a project until you have a strong understanding of the individual details like when it needs to be done.
After setting or clarifying a specific deadline, you should break the task down into smaller parts.
Create a timeline for when you need to get each part done so that you can finish the entire project on time. But beyond creating it, you also need to stick to it.
2. Keep track of important dates
Organize, organize, organize. Once you create your plan, you need to keep track.
The best way to do this is to make a note of it. Now, it’s your choice whether you want to physically write in a calendar or a planner or use technology instead.
Here at LadyBossBlogger, we use Google Calendar to keep track of when our blog posts are scheduled to go live.
Deciding how you want to keep track of everything may seem like a simple task, but it is an important decision.
You need to choose a method you know you will maintain and check consistently.
3. Focus on one task at a time
Although multitasking might seem like the best way to get more things done at once, it’s actually counterproductive.
You are not properly focusing on either task, and you are slowing yourself down.
This is where your plan comes in.
Once you decide how you want to approach a project, you know the various steps that are required along the way to accomplish it.
Each day, decide on one big task and two smaller tasks that you want to get done. This way everything can be attainable.
Don’t set yourself up for failure by trying to do too much each day.
4. Find what motivates you
Ask yourself what your driving force is. What pushes you to do work?
- Is it because you need to do the project for work?
- Do you feel accomplished when you finish hard projects?
- Do you want to be successful?
This tip might seem more reflective than the rest, but having a strong sense of what motivates you will influence how you approach a task.
If you find yourself procrastinating or not wanting to finish a task, remind yourself why you are working on it.
Always remember why you do what you do.
5. Be kind to yourself
While it’s important to hold yourself accountable to finish projects before they are due, you still want to be kind to yourself.
No good will come from placing too much weight or stress on your own shoulders that you become too overwhelmed to begin.
When planning out deadlines, be sure to include extra time in case things go wrong.
Life is unpredictable as we all know, so you don’t want to set goals or deadlines without allowing some wiggle room.
In the end, time management and keeping deadlines are both trial-and-error processes.
We recommend you try out the tips you like, such as planning the steps you need to take or focusing on one task at a time, to find what works best for you.
Once you find what clicks with you, you’ll be a pro at keeping your deadlines in no time.
Additional articles you might be interested in:
- How To Start An Online Business
- 7 Productivity And Organizational Skills For Entrepreneurs
- 10 Ways To Organize And Plan Your Blog Posts
- How To Love What You Do, Do What You Love
- 5 Time Management Tips For Busy Entrepreneurs
Katelyn Beery is a blogging intern at LadyBossBlogger.com. She majors in writing at Ithaca College and hopes to pursue a career in either technical or professional writing. She can usually be found cleaning, listening to music, or gazing at clouds.
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