The thing is, when you have a deadline, you do your best to meet it. In many ways it's like a promise, you simply never break a promise. I've heard mixed opinions on deadlines. They generate stress, and subpar work. However they also push you to get work done that you wouldn't otherwise have done. Imagine saying to your children, "I'll build the swing set for you." That's a non committal promise. You're saying you'll build it when you get to it. In theory, your children might not need the swing set by the time you finally gotten to building it. Now, if you say "I'll get the swing set built this weekend." You've already begun clearing the space in your mental schedule to allow for the swing set to be built. There may be unforeseen circumstances that make it so you don't finish the setting set on the weekend, but you've certainly made every effort you can. It's similar at work. Recently I had a project with an arbitrary end date around a month in the future. Time went by and I plucked away at the project. I figured I had time. Suddenly I learnt that the project was due the following day. You can bet I devoted all of my attention to the project to ensure it was finished! This is the power of deadlines. They are a call to action.
But what about quality? Won't quality for the project suffer? Maybe. If you've over booked yourself it will, almost guaranteed. Ultimately though, the deadline encourages you to put your attention into the project sooner rather than later. In my opinion, the quality is actually likely to improve. You're not letting other things distract you. You don't start, then stop, then remind yourself where you left off. When it's been so long since you worked on a project that you literally had to deconstruct the project to figure out where you left off, it's often easiest to scrap the project altogether. I've done this, and for some I'm still mourning the loss, years later.
Of course, if you leave all the work till the deadline, you're not doing yourself any favours. In that case, the quality may suffer so much that you might as well have never done the project in the first place. Just because you have a deadline doesn't mean you won't procrastinate. You still have to actually put that focus into the project you've committed to. The deadline is an agreement between all parties that you will do the best you can to get that project done. Note that's "the best you can," and not "whatever you get done in time."
Does everything require a deadline? Well, probably not. But if you want to get something done in a timely fashion, set a deadline.
--Charlie Griffin
Stick with me, and we'll get wise together.
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In recognition of Canada Day, and Independence Day I have a comparison between fast shutter speed, and slow shutter speed:
Happy Celebrations!
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