- September 9, 2016, 10:00 AM
Hit your deadlines with our top tips. Photo: Fotolia
Are you stressed about completing an upcoming project on time? Here are some tips from AIN Publications editorial assistant Samantha Cartaino on how to meet deadlines for any project.
- Communicate. Ask questions and address potential issues early on to ensure that you fully understand the expected outcomes. You don’t want to find out after you have completed the project that you missed a step or misunderstood the concept.
- Create a project calendar. It’s easy for an item to fall through the cracks if you are juggling several tasks at once. One of the best ways to keep track of everything is to write the due dates in your calendar as an easy reminder. If you’re not one for calendars, try smartphone apps such as Due, Clear and Any.do To-do List through which you can set due date reminders.
- Start as early as possible. One of the worst things you can do is wait until the last minute to complete a project. When you start as early as possible, you’ll have time to fix and avoid potential setbacks.
- Break it down. Sometimes an assignment is so complex that you can’t take it on all at once. The best way to tackle something like this is to break down each aspect of the project into smaller tasks.
- Manage your time. Once you have broken down the project into tasks, you can create a checklist to help manage your time. One way to quickly finish the project is to dedicate a specific time each day to complete an item on the checklist. When the tasks are completed, you can easily piece them together to finish the job.
- Allow extra time. In the process of managing your time, try to finish the work before its due date. This little bit of extra time allows for proofreading, approvals and reviews. There will be fewer mistakes.
- Eliminate distractions. Checking social media, texting, making phone calls and surfing the web can all be major distractions when you are trying to hit a deadline. To stay on track, you might have to put your phone in your desk drawer or temporarily disconnect the internet on your computer. You’ll be happy you did this by the time you finish your project.
- Take breaks. Overworking on a project can cause stress, which can stifle your creativity and cause you to stare at the computer screen for hours. Instead of forcing yourself to finish, take a quick break in between tasks and come back to it with a clear mind.
- Ask for help. Don’t be afraid to look to your coworkers, peers or vendors for advice. Sometimes you won’t be knowledgeable on the topic of your task. Instead of trying to muddle through it by yourself, go to someone who has more knowledge or experience with the topic. With his or her help, your project can turn out more complete than it would have been if you worked on it alone.
- Be realistic. Don’t agree to an impossible deadline. Try to negotiate a deadline that you feel comfortable with. If you start the project and realize you will not be able to finish within your given time frame, let your supervisor or client know as soon as possible.
Samantha Cartaino is a recent graduate of Arcadia University. She has been an editorial assistant at AIN Publications since early 2016 and has written articles on business aviation, air transport, defense and aerospace.
