Any time I think about deadlines, I think of the infamous incident when I missed one. My mom thinks the story is false since she doesn’t remember it, but I know it happened. I was in the sixth grade. I had a history essay or a book report due. I didn’t write it. I missed the deadline. Punishment was given.
I was sentenced to my room and tasked with writing and editing – my mom was not one for half-baked papers – the paper. I was not to leave that room until it was finished. Thus, I sprawled on my bed. I probably whined as any pre-teen is wont to do. I eventually got to work on the paper, my soundtrack being the sounds of my brothers playing outside.
Lesson learned and never repeated. I realized that if I wanted to enjoy more playtime I had to not necessarily work more but work smarter. I’m sure I didn’t think of the idea in quite those terms when I was in the sixth grade, but it was my introduction to time and project management.
Time passed and college and grad school happened. I became more and more proactive about deadlines during those years. I planned for them, set milestones, and added buffers. If I knew a deadline was approaching, I went to great lengths to have the assignment or project finished days or even a week before the date. I didn’t want to be writing at the very last minute. I wanted those final days before the deadline to be free for any last-minute edits or other emergency assignments.
As an adult, I’ve had to learn a different lesson: not everyone works according to the clock I do. Still, if I can manage my own tasks and complete them in a timely manner, I’m better able to cope with surprise projects, which, interestingly enough, helps me be easier to get along with and do good work.
Image: Joshua Kopel (Creative Commons)