Tag: deadlines

What do I do when I miss a deadline?

When You miss Your deadline 

Focus on priority.

We master time by mastering priority +

 

It’s not the end of humanity if you miss your deadline.

The first action we need to take is figure out why we missed it.

Was it because our deadline was too extreme?

Sometimes the project / goal ends up bigger and more difficult than we realized starting out.

Adjust the deadline accordingly. Use this knowledge for related future projects.

Or maybe we didn’t take it seriously enough?

A project / goal that’s not a priority of mind can easily fall to the wayside if we’re not careful

  • Stretched too thin
  • Not blocking off time for it
  • Maybe it’s not even important to us

Ask yourself, ‘Is this a priority to me?’

If so attack it with gusto! and even postpone other projects / goals until it’s complete.

If it’s not (and you can) consider dropping it for something that is a priority for you.

Just make sure you’re stopping because it doesn’t align to who you are, rather than because it’s getting difficult.

The second step is being accountable.

If we’re accountable to someone else for this project, let them know what happened and what you’re going to do about it. 

If the project is our own, even more of a reason to take responsibility for our actions / inactions.

The only way our projects /goals will become reality is if we work towards them. We have to make them happen.

Missing a deadline will happen all the time, and that’s okay.

As long as we know that we can reevaluate and try again, there’s not much that can stop us from making it happen.

The key to reinvigorating a project is knowing why it’s important to us in the first place,

and reminding ourselves every day.

A project or goal must be a priority of mind for it reach completion.

What are you finishing?

— Josh Waggoner

Donation = Love

Crunch Time: Have An End Date in Mind

Having infinite time

to work on a project is completely detrimental to finishing it –

Have an end date in mind+

Starting a project or goal with no deadline will make it difficult, if not impossible, to complete. 

Though it may be a priority to you, 
it doesn’t have priority of competition.

It’s best to practice setting an end date to every project or goal.

I work better under pressure.
my work improves under pressure —

I don’t have time to lollygag around.. but if I do, I still have to crunch to meet the deadline.

When your deadline should be (if you have the power to make it yourself) can be determined by how much focus and time you have to give.

I can set an extreme deadline — such as ‘finish X in one weekend’ — but I need to be ready to focus exclusively on it.

Keep the end date as concise as possible. A sharp deadline creates an intensity unlike any other, taking you to that next level of efficiency.

Write out your goal, set an end date.
“I will finish my book in 4 months, write 5 crappy pages for it everyday”
“I will become more proficient in photography in 6 months”
“I will save enough to go on a european adventure in 6 months”

“In will gain 10lbs of muscle in 3 months” or “I will lose 20 lbs in 6 months”
— You get the idea. But don’t just say ‘in 6 months’, actually write out the date, depending on when you start.

related wisdom

“A goal is a dream with a deadline.” — Napoleon Hill

 

“Deadlines refine the mind. They remove variables like exotic materials and processes that take too long. The closer the deadline, the more likely you’ll start thinking waaay outside the box.” — Adam Savage