Is the Deadline Scramble the latest dance craze in your office? If it is, we’re here to help!
As many spread sheets as you create, calendars you layout, and to-do lists you lay down, it is inevitable that some urgent project will slip through the cracks and force you to drop everything and start working at warp speed to make that 5 o’clock deadline.
Take our advice so you’ll never have to do this two-step again!
1. Delegate. Delegate. Delegate
If a last minute project appears on your desk and you’re already swamped with work, start breaking it up and asking for help. Breaking down a larger project into workable chunks of 1-2 hours will help you get a handle on how much work is actually ahead of you, and how you should go about your day. Involving other team members only helps everything run much more smoothly. Asking them to do one extra hour of work is not too tasking and will not effect their day a tremendous amount no matter how busy they are.
2. Create an outline.
Just because you are in a rush to get things done doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take the time to create a solid plan to help you along your way. Many people make the mistake of jumping right in without any idea of how they will tackle the project and end up getting caught up in minor details later on. If you have an outline, you can skip over parts that don’t are more difficult and know exactly where you left off when you have the time to finish them later.
3. Grab a stop watch.
When working on a tight deadline that’s just hours away, it’s always good to have a handle on your time management skills. Getting caught up in a project can make hours fly by in seconds – leaving you without any time for fine tuning or editing. If this is a common problem for you, set the alarm on your phone to go off every few hours with a reminder of what should be done. Maybe using an email or calender alert would be easier? Whatever it is, make sure you have a system in place that tracks your time slots and work completed.
When in doubt, always set up a plan. The more you plan, the less often these type of incidents will occur. Check out this site for amazing tips from the author of Getting Things Done, David Allen.
Next time you’re in a bind, think of us- seriously. Give us a call if you need some expert advice because NO ONE looks cute doing the deadline scramble!
