Full Frontal PR Report
Frank Domondon

“I love deadlines. I especially like the whooshing sound they make as they go flying by.”
—Douglas Adams

What in life is not on deadline? Even outside work, everything in our lives is a series of showing up and getting things done—and on time. Getting to work, for example: getting up on time, getting ready, getting to the train. All of these are deadline-driven activities that you have to do, to walk in the door on time. Deadlines are nothing new and have been a part of your life since you first climbed onto a school bus. Like death and taxes, there is just no escape from having to deal with it. Death, taxes and deadlines.

These moments in time are not to be feared. They help us manage our time and be more effective and efficient at work and in the outside lives, however limited. People associate deadlines with stress, but stress isn’t caused by them. Stress is caused by the manner in which we chose to deal with and meet deadlines. So now we can now look at ways in which we can effectively live with deadlines.

Motivate Yourself
“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work.”
—Aristotle

The sooner you change your perception of this as a jail sentence, the faster you work towards meeting these handy moments in time. Treat deadlines as what they are: a challenge! Your challenge (if you choose to accept it)

• Analyze the situation

• Develop the plan
• Secure the resources
• Execute the tactics needed to accomplish a goal
• Do the above in a designated allotment of time

Sounds like every reality show, right? It’s a personal race against time.

Keep Your Perspective
“Well done is better than well said.”
—Benjamin Franklin

Trying to overachieve in an overzealous manner jeopardizes the accomplishment of your primary goal. We all want to demonstrate our full range of capabilities, but doing so at the expense of the initial goal is counterproductive. Find the balance between going above and beyond and accomplishing your goal and you’ll never have to worry about not completing the task at hand on time.

Stick with the Plan
“Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work.”
—Peter Drucker

The best-laid plans of (mice and) men are useless unless they are followed through. You can get just as lost by not following a plan as you could have gotten if you never made one in the first place. At times you will feel the need to divert from your plan, but that usually occurs when you are perilously close to your deadline. A plan is nothing but a roadmap to get you to your goals on time.

Stay Focused (Keep it Real)
“Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.”
—Samuel Johnson

Be determined to meet your objectives. Don’t procrastinate; don’t dawdle—especially if you’re on a short deadline (or leash!). Procrastination accomplishes nothing but wasting time. Spend those minutes to reach “downtime,” when you can review your goals and path to accomplishing them.

Execute
“Get ‘R Done.”
—Great American Philosopher Who Shall Remain Nameless

Get prepared, keep focus, and assess your progress. And here be honest. Remember that focus without planning or motivation without perspective will end in failing to meet that deadline. Each point on that path serves a purpose; they usually relate closely to each other.

The Caveat
Don’t confuse submitting work on time with meeting a deadline. It’s hardly ever worth sacrificing quality of work to hand in work on time. The time your supervisors and coworkers need to “fix” the work will essentially defeat the purpose of having a deadline at all. If deadline meeting is hopelessly out of reach then bite the bullet and OVER-COMMUNICATE with those waiting for you. Ask for help or extension. Let them know you are falling behind and don’t hand in work that you’re not sure is up to standards just to make a tough deadline.

On Deadline
“We must use time as a tool, not a crutch.”
—John F. Kennedy

Taking the time to make a plan provides you with a greater sense of control and will help you make it in time. Keeping your cool will help keep your productivity up and get your stress and blood pressure down. Remember, loathing deadlines is yet another time-waster. Dealing with them head-on is the only way to get them over and done with sooner.