First of all thanks for being here, if you’re reading this then most likely you’re also struggling with deadlines or struggling with turning your goal or vision into a reality.
Everyone has great goals and dreams in their mind, everyone aims to do something great which can possibly create a great and positive influence in everyone’s lives.
The biggest challenge most people face is finding the courage to start with even the first small step. And lack of a proper plan and clarity could be the biggest factor behind that.
The struggles are real when you’re creating something on your own. When you don’t have someone to set your deadline or timeframe for you, and when you have to do that on your own.
That’s where the deadline takes its important place. This is what enables us to plan out the execution and re-evaluate everything in the greatest and most detailed way possible.
When you don’t plan out execution and don’t set a deadline, your goal can turn into merely a wish. It’s a deadline that sets a roadmap and gives a proper direction. This is what enables us to keep moving forward but in the right direction in order to get closer to the first milestone.
What is the Deadline?
Let’s first start with the basics!
According to Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary, Deadline is defined as the time or date by which something must be done.
When a time limit or deadline has passed, the objective or task may be considered overdue. A deadline or time limit defines a narrow field of time or a specific moment in time.
Another way to describe a deadline is a period of time by which something needs to be done. Failing to meet this deadline is referred to as being overdue. Or revising the original timeline could be called an extended deadline.
A deadline is a specific date and time by which a task must be completed.
But why is the deadline important?
It is very important to establish a clear time frame for doing anything; not having one can lead to procrastination and you may never get anything done, you may continue thinking to do it from tomorrow and that tomorrow may never come.
When one does not have any plans and a deadline, it is really easy to lose track.
Below are some of the most important reasons why deadlines exist for our own benefit:
- It pushes you to accomplish goals: Nothing motivates better than the timeframe. This is what guarantees the execution as long as you take it seriously.
You can set the deadline to 4 Days and also 2 Days. You are likely to end up doing the same thing in two days as well, which is the reason why the deadline encourages the individual to act because there is no room for procrastination in most cases.
- It helps prioritize tasks: It is important to prioritize the tasks in order to do the things that are most important to you when you have an endless list of things to do.
By setting the timeframe, you know what comes first and what needs to be done first on a priority basis.
- It boosts your self-confidence and makes you feel good: Getting things done on time or before a deadline is incredibly rewarding. It’s a kind of happiness.
Completing things on time not only lifts your mood but also boosts your confidence and motivates you to start chasing new deadlines.
- It forms a new habit: When we keep doing or the following something, isn’t it that it becomes a habit?
If we consistently follow timeframes or deadlines and strive to get things done well ahead of deadlines, a new habit forms, and that’s how dreamers become doers.
- It prevents overdoing something: Even though perfection is a good thing, over-perfection can prevent someone from even taking the first step. Getting started is what matters first because improvements can always be made as necessary.
It is most relevant for those who design things. Keep in mind, having a draft is what matters the most, once you have a draft, you can always tweak it until it is as close to perfection as possible. Just compare any famous app’s user interface with how it was back when the app was first developed.
Keep in mind that as long as it works, you’re good to go. Don’t try to make it perfect right from the start. You can always make it seamless with feedback from your real users.
How to set and manage deadlines that really work?
Being realistic is always the key whether it’s your goals or deadline. The important thing is to know if it’s feasible enough, and planning is what allows you to find those answers, and setting realistic deadlines is helped by planning.
The following are some points you may want to consider when setting up the deadline:
- Have a clear objective and plan things out: It is important to remember that great goals are meaningless without a clear plan and a roadmap.
A clear goal and good planning are the first steps to establishing a deadline because when there isn’t a clear roadmap, it makes no sense to set one because you don’t know where you’re going.
Make a simple execution plan with small steps so you can set a reasonable deadline that gives you clarity.
- Set the realistic deadline: Telling a lie to oneself is the worst thing one can do. How will it have any impact when you set an impossible deadline that you deeply know will never be met?
When you are just getting started, why not choose something which makes sense, is doable, and can be accomplished?
It doesn’t make sense to try to do everything at once, plan out your work, create small steps and set realistic deadlines for each step. Get used to this and in the end, it will become a habit to do those things.
- Don’t take your creativity for granted: To take the quality for granted is the worst thing you can do. Meeting deadlines shouldn’t mean setting the lowest creative standards.
Always be aware of extending the timeframe if you can’t come up with your full potential. But don’t confuse it with over-perfection, that’s a whole other topic.
In essence, deadlines are meant to encourage you to be creative and to come up with awesome ideas that can allow you to accomplish those tasks in a given amount of time.
However, it’s crucial to revise the timeframe if you’re not able to produce the anticipated creative solution. This is why setting a realistic deadline is crucial.
- Don’t let deadlines get in the way of your goals: The main purpose of deadlines should be to motivate yourself to complete tasks rather than stop you from doing them.
If it affects you negatively, then maybe you haven’t prioritized the tasks or the plan isn’t clear enough or the goal isn’t clear enough.
Don’t let the fear of meeting deadlines deter you from executing things on time. Make your moves wisely to stay within the timeframe.
- Keep the plan flexible to allow for improvisations: Remember that things don’t always go as planned. The key is to constantly adapt to change.
Set a deadline that allows you the opportunity to revise the execution if necessary. You might not achieve the desired results the first time; you may need a second attempt.
Thanks for reading and I hope it inspired you not only to dream but also to put it into practice and develop an actual plan that will allow you to get to your goals.
Don’t let your big goals narrow down your vision, Instead narrow down your goal into small steps, set the deadline, and give it a try, In case, It really makes sense to you and it’s feasible enough.
