Deadline: definition and rules of application

In certain situations, time heals, in others it cripples. For example, negative consequences occur when a deadline is violated. What it is and how to apply it correctly, this article will tell you.

Term Deadline came to us from America. Its origins seem very grim. Literally it means "dead line". And the concept originally meant just that in the literal sense.

Dead - dead, line - line or border. If you go over the deadline, you will be shot. It was during the Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865. Then the passions in the New World subsided, and the word remained and became synonymous with our emergency.

IT specialists were the first to introduce it into their slang. A deadline in the language of programmers is a strictly allotted time for a job. In simple terms, this is the deadline for the delivery of the task to the client or the boss. Then the concept of "deadline" was transferred to other areas of activity, and not only in the United States.

Situations when deadlines are "burning" are encountered in a person's life at every step. From early childhood, we are faced with a deadline. The poem about Santa Claus must be learned strictly for the New Year's party, the song about mom - by March 8. As we get older, the deadline gets stricter.

Already at school, non-compliance with the deadline threatens much more serious problems than being suspended from speaking at a matinee in kindergarten.

Then the deadline is sent with us to a secondary or higher educational institution. A student is given a certain period of time to write a term paper or thesis. Of course, some leave everything to the last. But non-compliance with the student deadline threatens with expulsion from the institute. And this is not even a bad grade in mathematics in the 5th grade.

After receiving a diploma, we go to work. And again, we take with us the need to comply with the deadline.

Even creative people have to work on a deadline. The play in the theater must be completed by a certain date. What can we say about large corporations. The accounting report cannot be delayed, otherwise - a fine, problems with the audit, unpleasant consequences. Delivery of a new construction project also always has a specific date, the transfer of which threatens not only the loss of the company's reputation, but also financial losses.

All the same IT specialists must develop a new program by a certain day, otherwise they will be overtaken by competitors, as a result - loss of bonus, or even dismissal.

An athlete who misses the deadline for passing doping tests will be at least disqualified for a long period, or maybe even complete a career. An artist who undertakes a private order must complete it before the date specified in the contract, otherwise the painting will remain in his collection.

Even modern writers can seldom indulge in the lingering "pangs of creativity." Strict contracts with publishers do not give them the opportunity to relax. The film crew must be done right on time. Otherwise - additional costs for renting premises, fees for actors, salaries of technical personnel. The doctor cannot postpone the operation to remove the appendicitis, otherwise, his patient will have a deadline in the worst sense of the English term.

But even if you are a simple housewife, there will certainly be a deadline in your life too. Dinner must be cooked by a certain date, otherwise the children and husband will remain hungry. The child needs to be picked up from kindergarten at a specific time, and even if your manicurist is late, this does not give the right to violate the term.

Mother-in-law needs to be congratulated on her anniversary strictly on her birthday. Violation threatens with scandal and resentment. We even make some purchases at exactly the appointed time. It is the deadline method that is used in advertising campaigns when we are offered to buy a product at a discount at a certain time. The slogan “the duration of the action is limited” is nothing more than the use of the deadline principle. Everywhere you look, there is a deadline everywhere.

In order for the deadline to be beneficial, and not a blow to the nervous system, you need to follow certain requirements. It is wrong to postpone the task until the extreme point.

And if in the case of students this is still permissible, they have much more strength and energy than a working person, the more burdened with a family, then it is unacceptable with children or middle-aged people. Therefore, when determining the finish line, use the following rules.

• It will be urgent for sure. Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. Even if you understand that the work can be completed in two weeks, and not in a month, as required by the deadline, do not postpone it.

There can always be unplanned difficulties or cases. The child fell ill, his mother asked to take her to the dacha, and all this usually happens "inappropriately". Better sooner rather than later, so get to work as soon as you get it. So you will at least have time for household needs. As a maximum, you can start a new project earlier than planned.

• A unique performer. Each of us has his own temperament, each has his own style of work. Therefore, one can cope with a specific task in a week, the other in three days. One manicurist does his job in 30 minutes, the other releases the client only after an hour and a half.

And it's not only about quality, but also about the methods used by this or that specialist. Do not run in front of the locomotive. Don't overstate the bar. If you understand that the time allotted to you is too short, either immediately refuse the order, or negotiate other terms.

• I see the goal. Sometimes it is difficult for us to embark on a large-scale project. We just don't know which side to start with. Put everything on the shelves. Define the main and the secondary. Make a plan. And then it will be much easier to find the best way to achieve the goal than if you do the work "swoop".
• And the hour struck. Sometimes it seems like meeting deadlines isn't all that important. Didn't make a dress for the New Year - finish it for your birthday. Don't clean up this weekend - do it next. Meanwhile, things are only getting bigger. They grow like a snowball. Therefore, don't think of seconds down. Do not bring matters to the point of time trouble.
• Can't bring yourself to get to work? Think of the customer. Not only do you run the risk of ruining your relationship with him and tarnishing your reputation, so it will be hard for him. For example, he expects to receive from you a portrait (bouquet, exclusive jewelry) for his wife for her birthday. Failure to meet the deadline threatens problems not only for you, but also for his personal life.
• No matter how much the rope twists, it will still end. Determine specific deadlines for the completion of work. Even if the customer does not insist and says that he is ready to wait a whole year. Set the completion date yourself. Voice it to the client and partners. Otherwise, there is a possibility that the "pleasure" will really last for a year.
• Divide and rule. Keep a written (printed) schedule of work always at hand, especially if you are working on several projects at the same time. Do not be afraid to delegate some of the work to colleagues (subordinates).
• Time. Time zones often stifle businesses. When receiving an order from Vladivostok to Kaliningrad, do not forget to take into account the time difference or discuss which hours to focus on with the customer.
• Understand, but check. Even if it seems that you have taken into account all the wishes of the customer, do not hesitate to clarify all the details. Otherwise, there may not be enough time for revision.
• The client is always right. In order not to have to make adjustments to the work a month after its completion, set a deadline for your customer. Specify the deadline for accepting claims after the delivery of the work. Otherwise, when, a month later, a friend "reaches" that the dressing gown was supposed to have mother-of-pearl buttons, you will have to be distracted from another project by reworking, the strict framework of which must also not be violated.
• From general to specific. If you took on a large-scale project, divide it into several parts and define your own deadline for each.This will help you clearly understand what needs to be done on a particular day.
• Don't be afraid to waste time on trifles. Write down every small detail of your project, and as you complete it, cross out the tasks that have already been completed from the list. Firstly, this way you will always have a clear plan, and secondly, every day the goal will be more tangible.
• Business time. Keep track of the calendar and clock. Sometimes time runs imperceptibly, it is impossible to turn it back. At least so far the time machine only works in films and books.
• Happy hours. Find the most convenient time to get the job done. If you work from home, then perhaps this will be the interval between the moment when the children left for school and when it is time to start preparing dinner. Use the selected time clearly for the intended purpose - in our case, to complete the work on the deadline.
• You can use a well-known trick in time management - the tomato method. For a certain amount of time, you will be focused on solving only one problem. The essence of the method is simple. Take the kitchen timer, start it for 25 minutes, and until the signal sounds for the end of the time, you only do some specific work. Learn English, for example. The main condition is that nothing should be distracted all this time. No phone calls, no boiling kettle, no washing machine.
• ​​​​​​Do not embrace the immensity. Even if during the execution of the work you received a very advantageous offer, before agreeing to it, weigh the pros and cons. If you try to catch two birds with one stone, the likelihood of missing both is great. Therefore, if there is even the slightest risk of not coping with the first task, do not take on the second.

It may seem that the deadline is most relevant for businessmen. However, this is not the case. First of all, the deadline is disciplining. Secondly, he helps to establish self-control... You will no longer endlessly search for reasons to postpone the task.

You will have more free time. What was previously wasted on all sorts of nonsense will be used. Instead of 5 cups of coffee a day, you will start drinking one. And this is good for health.

Instead of one well-completed project, you will be able to hand over 2 or even 3 in the same time frame. And this is not only an increase in self-esteem, but also an increase in salary.

There are people who are pathologically late. They do not have time anywhere and never - to school, work, plane or train, for birthdays and even New Year, and at the same time do not feel the slightest pangs of conscience. But this is more the exception than the rule. Most of the time violation leads to problems of both internal and social nature.

• An unsuccessful person can never feel successful. He loses faith in his own strength, gets upset and eventually brings himself to chronic and lingering stress.
• Work not completed on time inevitably leads to an unpleasant conversation with the customer, business partner or manager. As a result - all the same stress.
• The time that was spent on work that was not completed on time cannot be returned. As a result of missed deadlines, all the work is often in vain. A competitor bypassed you or an order made by you after the agreed deadline is no longer relevant. Who needs your exclusive decorated Christmas tree on January 10th? You lost strength, but at best nothing, at worst - again stress.
• In addition to wasting time and effort, lack of organization leads to loss of benefits. If your boss is a "darling", he simply will not give you a bonus, and if not, which is most likely, he will cut or even deprive you of your salary.
• With a systematic violation of the deadline, a person risks losing their job altogether. At first they will no longer trust him at least as much as significant projects, then they will begin to completely ignore him. Rumors of his incapacity will spread far beyond the company. And after the dismissal, which in this case is almost inevitable, unless the owner of the company is your loving grandfather, it will be difficult for you to find a new job. And as a result, what? That's right - stress or even depression.

Anyone can follow the rules of the deadline. Any violation is a consequence of improper work and rest regime. So that not a single day is wasted, you do not need to have supernatural abilities. You just need to put things in order in your head and at the workplace. So, let's begin.

• We draw up a work plan for the day. It is advisable to do this the night before. If you are a "morning person" and get up at dawn full of strength and energy, schedule all the important and difficult things for the first half of the day. After lunch, tackle some less onerous and demanding tasks. If you are an "owl" and your brain "wakes up" towards noon, do the easy part of the work in the morning, and take on the most mentally expensive tasks in the afternoon.

But in either case, assign most of the load in the first half of the week, while your concentration is stronger and your level of performance is higher. With the right planning, you can always make yourself a "short day" on Friday.

• Leave yourself time just in case. If you need to complete the work in a week, reduce your own deadline to 5-6 days. So you will have time to fix the shortcomings, improve the created project. If neither one nor the other is required, you will have free time at your disposal.
• Promise to complete the work on time, not only to yourself and the customer (manager), but also to colleagues and even household members. Dates spoken aloud stimulate you to be more dynamic at work.

• Put a "reminder" on your phone. The sound of notifications about the completion date of the work will also stimulate its early completion.
• But first, put things in order on your desktop, remove from it all unnecessary and distracting from work. Create yourself a comfortable environment.

Do not take on an overwhelming burden. Take into work only what you are ready to accomplish without losing your health. And, of course, do not deny yourself the rest. You can drive yourself up very quickly, it will take much longer to recover. Be outdoors more often. Go in for sports. All this will give acceleration and stimulation to your brain activity. Sleep for at least 8 hours at night. Take short breaks during your day as well.

As you can see, everything is not as difficult as everything ingenious. And remember - the word "deadline" had a sad connotation more than a century and a half ago. Now it is a lifeline for any modern person who wants to achieve success in this life both at work and at home.