Mechanics of Making Deadlines

Don’t allow the quality of your work to suffer by missing deadlines. Meeting deadlines is an acquired skill with two influences—motivational and mechanical. Motivational: Agree on the deadline with your partner (recipient of the work). Next, commit to the deadline. Then, acknowledge and empathize with the direct and indirect consequences of not meeting the deadline. Make an accountability pact—allow your partner to contact you at any time about progress. Mechanical: Know how much time each part of your project will take. Divide it into mini-deadlines. Adopt an early completion point (your buffer). Success will reinforce your on-time habit, and a positive reputation will follow.