What is a deadline and how to set it correctly for yourself and your subordinates

People involved in freelancing often hear the word “deadline”. Out of ignorance, a completely logical question arises about its meaning. The word seems complicated at first glance, but transforming it into synonyms that are understandable and simple for us allows us to quickly understand the definition.

Let's try to figure it out together and find answers to the questions - the deadline, what it means, where it is appropriate to use this expression, what it is, how important the meaning is. This information will definitely be useful to every person who wants to learn how to plan their day, manage to complete all tasks and work on time.

What does deadline mean?

This expression began to be used relatively recently in business vocabulary, but quickly became popular and in demand in the office “phrase book.” Perhaps, given the origin of the word, it sounds biting and immediately characterizes the person who uses it as a knowledgeable, advanced, modern representative of society.

To answer the question “deadline, what is it”, you need to delve into the history of the word’s origin and literal translation. So, in English it sounds like deadline . Translated as “deadline”, “dead line”, “last frontier”.

Turning to the history of America, one can find out that there is an opinion about the origin of deadlines as the boundaries of American prisons, which did not allow prisoners to go beyond the boundaries of the place of confinement. Borders limiting the space available for free movement of prisoners had the same meaning.

Where is the term deadline used now?

It is often used in their vocabulary by freelancers, designers, commercial managers, students of universities and secondary schools. As well as journalists, businessmen, athletes, copywriters.

Now Americans, instead of denoting the boundaries of prisons with the term, use the word deadline to define the time interval allotted for completing any work. These deadlines can be set by the customer, teacher, or boss.

Let's look at the meaning of the term using an example of its use. “If I miss the deadline, I won’t be paid a bonus,” “Editors constantly torment us with short deadlines,” “Today I won’t go to your party because tomorrow is the deadline for submitting my course work,” etc.

As you can see, the word is used not only in the professional vocabulary of office workers, but also in solving simple everyday issues.

How to meet a deadline: 3 effective ways

The ability to meet deadlines, plan time and take responsibility for your work is a quality that can be a huge advantage over the gray mass of irresponsible colleagues. If punctuality is not your middle name, but you want to develop this useful skill, then there are several working ways to learn how to meet deadlines, all of them are formulated in one way or another in the doctrine of time management.

Time management is a time management system. A lot of books and articles have been written on this topic, many tricks, life hacks and tools for competent planning have been developed. The system works both in the professional and educational spheres of life, and in the organization of everyday life. There is a whole trend called Flylady (Flying Housewives), which helps to systematize and organize housekeeping.

Among the really working methods of dealing with missed deadlines, we will highlight three main ones.

Method 1. Ranking tasks

The basis of time management is to set realistic, achievable goals, which are broken down into smaller, time-limited Smart tasks. This is essentially a phased deadline. Sometimes the task seems completely overwhelming, too difficult, in this case you need to remember the famous words of Lao Tzu: “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step,” and begin to act, dividing the process into small manageable segments.

Time management requires the mandatory use of a variety of planners. This could be an ordinary notebook, a diary, a planner, an application on a smartphone - any tool that is convenient for you. Nowadays, countless such assistants have appeared, both in paper and electronic form.

In order not to miss deadlines, you need to learn to rank tasks. There are usually several types of tasks in any person's schedule. Even if you write them down in a column and gradually begin to cross out those completed, it is not a fact that you will effectively distribute your time and energy.

One of the convenient methods is called the “Eisenhower Matrix” in honor of the US President who used it in his work. He divided all emerging tasks into 4 categories, visually the matrix looks like this.

What else to read: The best books on time management and planning: personal selection of the TOP 7 books, Books on personal growth and self-development: TOP 10, Procrastination - what is it and how to get rid of it forever: a scientific approach in simple words.

Method 2. From complex to simple

If in evolution everything develops according to the principle “from simple to complex,” then in the fight against deadlines everything should be the other way around. At the beginning of the day, you need to complete one difficult task. It makes sense to start with problematic, unpleasant, or difficult cases for two reasons.

• Firstly, the rest of the time the sword of Domocles will not hang over you, so you will relieve internal psychological pressure, life will become easier and more fun.
• Secondly, this is the most reasonable way to take into account possible risks. Since the task is complex, unforeseen difficulties may arise in the course of solving it, which you will have time to overcome.

The Russian popularizer of the time management system, Gleb Arkhangelsky, has an interesting approach to planning daily tasks. He introduces the concept of “frog” - this is a small but nasty thing that is best done in the morning. Arkhangelsky calls it “eating a frog for breakfast,” then it won’t ruin your whole day.

Method 3. Redline

Postponing the deadline for completing a task some time before the actual deadline works reliably. This method is called redlining.

The redline date depends on the scale of the work being submitted. If this is a large and complex project, it is better to move the preliminary deadline significantly away from the actual one; simpler tasks can be moved closer to hour X. In this way, you not only free yourself from a difficult stressful situation with pressing deadlines and rush jobs, but also leave time for quality checking and elimination shortcomings of the submitted work.

To summarize, we can conclude that life is impossible without deadlines; they surround us everywhere. To feel comfortable, not be late, not miss project deadlines, and not forget about important things, you need to learn to manage time. A deadline in work and in everyday life, with proper organization and planning, can turn from a terrible execution line into a convenient tool for controlling our main resource - time.

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Types of deadline

Deadline is a dominant concept in any project management that is involved in developing strategic decisions to create new products. This definition is responsible for setting the deadlines for the completion of the project, otherwise the slightest delay of even a minute is fraught with deprivation of bonuses, fines, etc.

The team is faced with the task of completing the project within the specified time frame, and all the people involved in its development are guided by it.

In business, a deadline can be urgent or milestone .

1. In the first option, only a few days, or even hours, are allotted to complete the task.
2. In the second case, the entire project is divided into several important stages, which during implementation are controlled by the manager.

This is described in more detail in Thomas DeMarco’s book on project management and business analytics.

Disadvantages of time limits

Sure, there are downsides to deadlines. They depend on the employer and the performer himself.

• The first disadvantage is stress, the most negative factor of motivation. If a missed deadline occurs through one’s own fault, the person begins to get nervous. Several failures can be stressful. And systematic delays in reprimands result in depression. Therefore, what he previously did well will turn out very badly.
• For the employer, the time limit threatens the loss of time and money. This happens when incorrect deadlines are set, when the performer, even with maximum effort, could not complete the task. There may, of course, be an error on the part of the performer. But the customer, deprived of money and lost time, will reap the benefits.

This is where the cons end. If you control the setting of deadlines and the diligence of employees, then everyone can avoid delays. So deadline is a necessary thing, allowing you to control the work process and intervene if something does not go according to plan.

How to meet project deadlines

Achieving 100% compliance with deadlines is incredibly difficult, but it is possible to achieve sufficient indicators to successfully bring a project to completion. To do this, you need to perform the following steps.

1. Determine the project owner and stakeholders, that is, people interested in the project, and involve them in negotiations. If this is not possible, then come into contact with decision makers and involve them in participating in the project. Negotiating with other people is pointless;
2. Collect and formalize customer requirements. It happens that the customer himself does not understand what he wants. It is necessary to achieve a clear understanding of the goals and objectives of both parties;
3. Make a detailed plan;
4. Estimate the cost and agree on the budget with the customer. Determine the payment procedure;
5. Appoint a team of performers and managers. Give them tasks;
6. Launch the project;
7. Set realistic deadlines. Involve both customer representatives and performers in this. This will help build team spirit and increase people's involvement in the common cause. It is useful to use redlines, that is, preliminary deadlines for completing tasks;
8. Break large tasks into small ones;
9. Motivate performers. It is important to explain not only the positive implications of meeting deadlines, but also the negative consequences of missing them. People should feel pressure, but they should refrain from making direct threats. They may cause a negative reaction;
10. Periodically remind performers about deadlines, but not too often and intrusively. Ask them about the progress of work, answer questions;
11. Implement an effective control system. Use specialized software for these purposes. This will save a lot of time and effort;
12. Have a backup plan in case of unforeseen circumstances. If an individual performer leaves the project, he must be replaced as soon as possible;

Is it really possible to increase sales with a deadline?

Having understood the answer to the question “what is a deadline,” we can confidently say that this concept is also applicable in trading. In commercial offers and proposals, it is used to attract the attention of consumers to a particular product in order to increase sales.

This applies to promotional offers and discounts. Online and offline stores urge you to make a purchase, talking about promotions. If you do not have time to buy before the specified expiration date of the special offer, you will have to pay double. Or, for example, you can buy an information product with a 50 percent discount only after the presentation. And this strategy works!

What are the risks of missing a deadline?

Deadlines don't bite if you live with them peacefully. Sanctions for missing deadlines vary. I divide them into:

• Conditional

You are punishing yourself. Your reputation suffers. Due to your own lack of punctuality, your income is less. For example, if you mess up the Etxt exchange, your rating will drop and negative reviews will appear.

• Real

The client refuses to pay or reduces the fee and is looking for a replacement.

The customer can punish the copywriter for excess water in the text or nausea. Get to know these concepts and follow them.

I advise you to follow the deadline. We are designed in such a way that we get used to everything. Violating agreements can become a dangerous habit, be careful.

The Power of Organizing Factor Deadline

The deadline strategy is often used in sports. For example, in bodybuilding or athletics. To participate in the competition, you must submit your application on time and pay the service fee. Or in football, after the end of the transfer period, the coaching staff is given only a month to conduct transactions for the resale and acquisition of football players.

The same picture can be observed during the Hollywood Film Festival, where young directors are given a chance to prove themselves by creating a short film. Only here, too, the deadline for submitting an application with a copy of the work is limited. Everything depends on the deadline.

Whether it is an intermediate or a final time frame, it is used by all people planning their goals. Only now they call it firmly the final deadline. Although our cherished word borrowed from the Americans also applies here. Dates and times are respected even by those who do not have a direct manager or customer setting deadlines.

Deadlines are used in all areas of human life, for example:

• doctors prescribe timing of the operation, after which any intervention by the surgeon will not make sense;
• teachers give a certain number of days or hours to write coursework, essays, presentations, answer exam questions, etc.;
• officials talk about specific deadlines for implementing the bill or submitting documents.

If the agreed time is ignored, then all the work will be done in vain. And this is quite logical. If a passenger who bought a ticket for 12:00 is late and arrives at the station at 12:05, then no one is to blame. We'll have to wait for the next one, because the train just left on schedule. All that remains is to blame yourself for lack of composure, irresponsibility, lack of punctuality, having experienced considerable stress.

And such emotional discomfort is experienced by anyone who does not know how to properly manage their time, organize their work productively, and ignore the deadline. If all logisticians and airport dispatchers worked without set deadlines, then this could develop into at least a mess, and at most into a disaster.

Deadline, freelancing and creativity

Many people who decide to devote themselves to freelancing often at first experience real euphoria from the freedom that has arrived. Sobering up comes quickly with the understanding that you still have to earn a living, and this will require significant effort.

The main problem of beginning freelancers is not finding good clients, but organizing their work. When there is no supervisor in the person of the employer, this can be difficult to do.

A freelancer experiences the same difficulties in meeting deadlines as a contractor on a project, only no one controls him or reminds him of the deadlines except himself. And he can find many reasons to postpone solving important problems until later, and in the meantime do something else. Following a few rules will allow beginning freelancers to get into a working rhythm and deliver tasks to customers on time and with good quality.

1. Create a list of goals. Goals should be specific, achievable and time-bound. This is what differentiates a goal from a dream.
2. Plan your work. Planning can be short-term and long-term. It is done in advance. For example, in the evening you can make a work schedule for the next day.
3. Organize your workplace. Order in the house means order in the head. There should be no unwashed coffee mugs or ashtrays filled with cigarette butts on your desk.
4. Establish a strict work schedule. It is possible to work seven days a week, 24 hours a day, but not for long. Stress, depression, professional burnout and hemorrhoids will not take long to appear. Active rest is required, weekends too. You can deviate from your work schedule, but without fanaticism. It is important to understand: easy work for 2-3 hours a day in a sun lounger on the shore of the warm ocean is a fairy tale for naive people. The path to success lies through hard, everyday work, but you can’t do without proper rest.
5. Come up with a reminder system. You can make notes on pieces of paper and keep them before your eyes, you can set an alarm clock, or you can use software, whatever is more convenient for you.
6. Establish a reward system for yourself, your loved one. For example, you can reward yourself with a small cake or a trip to the cinema after completing your daily plan.
7. Train yourself to eat frogs in the morning. Not literally, of course, figuratively. A frog is a complex, dreary task that you want to put on the back burner. So, you need to start your working day with a fresh mind by eating frogs. It will be uncomfortable at first, but then it will become a habit.

Where deadlines apply

Deadlines apply in all areas of life. This term can be applied even to a simple work schedule. If an employee needs to arrive at 9 o’clock, then he should leave the house in advance, taking into account public transport and traffic jams in order to be on time for work.

Or you decided to buy an apartment in a new building, but construction has not yet been completed. The contract specifies the deadline for completion of the project. This deadline cannot be violated either. But most often this concept is used in other areas:

1. Advertising and marketing , we have already looked at this example, talking about discounts and the last days of promotions.
2. Legislation , this applies to fines, utility bills, statute of limitations, etc.
3. Journalism , here everything is a little tougher; if you don’t fit into the framework, then the whole company suffers losses. For example, a magazine should appear on store shelves at 9:00 on Monday, which means it is delivered to the editor until Saturday, and to the print publisher until Sunday.
4. Competitions , all of them are held within a certain time frame. In this case, works are accepted several days before the competition. This allows you to timely weed out those who do not want to make efforts to win the main prize.

Freelancing cannot be ignored. Here the deadlines are the strictest. Especially if this is not a simple exchange cooperation, but an official one with the conclusion of contracts. In this case, you will not get away with violating your reputation; everything threatens with considerable fines.

If the deadline was not yesterday, then there is no need to panic.

Photo pixabay.com

We have all heard this word more than once - “deadline” - but what is it in simple words? The direct translation from the English phrase dead line is a deadly line, but this term has nothing to do with a mined field. In fact, a deadline is the deadline by which a task must be completed: bills paid, an application for participation in a competition submitted, or a project completed.

And they are all around us - in a sense, even the food in your refrigerator sets a deadline by which you must eat it without developing an eating disorder.

But let’s not try to embrace the immensity and today we propose to talk about one of the most important types of deadlines - those that you encounter at work, as well as how not to miss them and what to do if you realize that you cannot meet the deadline.

What causes deadlines to be missed?

Missing a deadline is often due to personal reasons. And they can be very diverse. For example, illness, reluctance to do it ahead of schedule, laziness and much more.

Having understood the reasons, you can understand how to meet deadlines when resolving work issues or implementing urgent projects.

According to the expert opinion of Richard Boyatzis, great stress with limited time closes a person to find ways to solve problems. Showing unconventional thinking in such situations is virtually impossible.

Why deadlines are scary for tomorrow's people

Completing a project on time is a law for any freelancer, manager, or marketer. A strictly limited time interval is a highly effective planning tool that allows you to cultivate discipline.

Despite this, a quarter of office workers or freelancers are chronic procrastinators. They feed their employers or customers breakfast, reschedule deadlines, and talk about completing the task later.

Undoubtedly, there are people for whom urgent deadlines for completing a project are the best kick for quick work; such conditions are acceptable for them; they get enormous pleasure and a considerable dose of adrenaline from completing a task in a few hours. But often for procrastinators this is the order of the day – delay. Such people have characteristic habits:

• pay bills on the last day or even the last hour;
• buy gifts for the New Year on December 31;
• submit quarterly reports at the last minute, pushing deadlines from day to day;
• get ready for work in a hurry because they get up late, etc.

To make up for lost time, procrastinators begin to work hard in a stressful mode; there can be no question of the quality of work performed. They go to the store, but constantly look at the clock.

To conduct business normally, psychologists recommend that tomorrow's students keep a diary. Planning your day by the hour and minute, following a plan - all this will help you avoid rushing to meet deadlines.

If you are an avid procrastinator, then setting reminders and maintaining a calendar in Yandex will help you get everything done by the deadline. You need to set clear time boundaries for yourself, without losing sight of the little things. Then you won’t have to complain about forgetfulness or a short day.

How to correctly set a deadline for yourself and your subordinates: 5 common mistakes

When set correctly, a deadline can significantly increase the chances of success. All tips and recommendations that will be given below are based on the practice of businessmen, trainers, and psychologists.

Mistake #1: Trying to motivate yourself with a long-term deadline

The most motivating deadline is the one that comes tomorrow. British scientists have found that the average student can learn Chinese 1 night before an exam. Of course this is a joke. But it clearly illustrates what often happens to us - the illusion that there is still plenty of time to work leads us to bustle and rush at the last moment.

Writing a thesis for students is a prime example. It seems that there is a lot of time ahead, but in fact the diploma is written a week, or even a day before the due date.

It would be more correct to allocate time for writing each chapter. In this case, there will be no excessive workload, and the work will be completed on time without fear and sleepless nights. To do this, write a thesis plan and then set a deadline for each chapter. For example, defending a thesis in three months (12 weeks). The diploma has 10 sections. It would be logical to allocate a week for each chapter. The deadline for each chapter will be on Sunday. If you follow the plan, the diploma will be ready two weeks before delivery. That is, there will be time for proofreading and making the last changes + there will be time for rest.

Mistake #2: Setting unrealistic deadlines

Setting unrealistic deadlines has the exact opposite effect. Once you start doubting that you can finish on time, you will not have the desire to start.

For example, I woke up and decided that I would close my mortgage in 3 months (debt to the bank - 1.6 million rubles). I set a deadline for myself. Is there any logic to such a deadline? No, my current income level does not allow me to repay the loan so quickly, even if I work 24/7/365. And I’m unlikely to undertake such a task.

The right decision here is to calculate your capabilities. For example, I can pay 10 thousand rubles in addition to the monthly payment, and with the help of such payments I can pay off the mortgage early in 10 years. Or find additional income and use all the income from it to pay off your mortgage loan early.

Is it possible to learn to do everything on time?

In business slang, phrases called “Runglish” are often used. In one sentence, office workers skillfully combine English and Russian words. Similar expressions include “failing the deadline,” which means submitting an order later than the set time. The reason for this is impunity, because a “crime” is not always followed by punishment. The management is simply putting the brakes on everything. But everyone can learn to do everything on time.

What to do to keep up with everything and get out of time trouble

In a business environment, many people speak “ Runglish, ” combining Russian and foreign words in one sentence. As Griboedov said, they use “a mixture of French and Nizhny Novgorod.”

The expression “to miss a deadline” translated from office slang means to submit an order (complete work) later than the next line. Doctor of Psychology Steve Levinson argues that the habit of missing deadlines for many is caused by the lack of consequences (punishment).

Take responsibility

The problem can be solved if we work in a team, where everyone takes on specific responsibilities that affect the overall result. Those involved in a large project need to set milestones and record achievements.

Mini-deadlines allow you to control the process and spur yourself to action. They have been proven to motivate even procrastinators. People understand that procrastination harms their own reputation and stresses out their colleagues, so they are forced not to delay deadlines.

Objectively assess the possibilities

This is another factor that often delays deadlines. To understand how long the process takes, you don’t need to do logical calculations in your head. For this purpose, there are hands on the clock that record everything down to the second.

Just for fun, you can conduct an experiment and make sure that the calculations do not coincide with real actions. To discipline yourself, it is better to move the date a day or two forward. This will create a temporary reserve and leave a chance to correct shortcomings.

Rules for not breaking deadlines

Even though you will know what factors contribute to meeting deadlines, which will justify tomorrow's deadlines, breaking deadlines will damage your reputation and cause inconvenience to colleagues. You can learn to fight the habit of delay if you follow simple rules:

1. Accepting the fact that you cannot multitask. You need to constantly work on yourself, without overestimating your own capabilities, considering yourself a highly professional specialist.
2. Preliminary calculation of time to complete the task. Track your own time, learn to understand how many hours or days it usually takes you to complete a similar project. Initially, budget this time on time with a small margin.
3. An honest look at the personal reasons for missing deadlines. Sometimes this develops into a chronic “disease”. It can be cured by identifying the causes. For example, you deny the existence of a problem and are constantly busy with other things. Or you take on tasks that are impossible for yourself, are easily distracted, and constantly break promises.
4. Start work immediately after taking on the project. There is no need to delay this process. Even if you leave some of it for later, the main thing will already be done. Do some basic research, prepare files, make notes for yourself that will form the basis of your work. If the tasks are completely small, then take on them immediately, submitting them before the established deadline.

By following these simple rules, you will be able to understand that deadline is not such a scary word for those who work with projects. After all, what is a deadline in simple words? It's a tool that makes you work harder and gets rewarded if you meet a deadline.

And that's all.
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Adviсe

1. Do not allow chaos in your work, it is destructive in any endeavor. A pile of papers and schedules, an inbox overflowing with letters, an abundance of work - all these things can negatively affect your productivity, so always take on work as you complete previous obligations. Order must be present everywhere: from the workplace to planning your own work in the future;
2. Plan your work ahead. Many analysts advise planning everything for a week in advance, then you can avoid getting overwhelmed at work, and always know what difficulties you will have to face in the future;
3. Set your priorities correctly. Understand the work processes, do the most difficult ones first, concentrate your main efforts on them;
4. Don't put too much work on your shoulders. In a fit of enthusiasm, you can exaggerate your own capabilities and load yourself up with work. Soberly assess your own strengths, always leaving some time in reserve; besides, there is always room for unforeseen situations, it is worth taking this into account in advance.