Whether you are a conventional employee or a work at home mom, meeting deadlines should be a part of your employment. No employer will be happy to see the agreed time frame set out at the beginning of a project is not going to be met. Further no employee including yourself dares to deal with the boss after missing a deadline. In this article we will look at a few tips which might assist you in meeting deadlines in whatever job role you undertake.
Check the viability before you commit
Before you agree upon the deadline, evaluate the viability and see how long it may take in reality. Be realistic and add a small buffer because every thing may not work as you expect. At least never commit yourself knowing obviously you can’t keep up.
Respect the deadline
Treat your deadline seriously and make every effort to have your work finished by then. Schedule your work accordingly and treat the time you have scheduled the same way you’d treat an important appointment. You may have missed your previous deadline but do not make it a habit because there is a limit up to which your boss or client will tolerate.
Act immediately if you are running out of time
When things get tight you may consider getting up early or staying up late. However it is important that you don’t compromise the quality of your work in doing so. Alternatively you may get help from a friend, relative or anyone at your household, provided the respective individual has the capacity and capability to lend you a hand.
Don’t forget the deadline
You could be dealing with multiple projects at a time. If so it’s easy to get overwhelmed with projects and forget about a deadline. Therefore it is a good idea to make a to-do list or maintain a schedule which assists you to follow up the work according to its relative priority. Make sure you clearly mark when each project is due and write down daily work which must be completed. This way, nothing falls through the cracks.
After all, we’re all human and as such errors are bound to happen, but you should never make it a habit. If you are certain that you would be missing the deadline, let your employer know immediately. Offer a new, alternate time frame and make every effort to honor it. It’s far better than letting him/her know at the last minute. |
