D
eadlines. It’s okay, that word scares me too! You might associate deadlines with stress and pressure, which may lead to procrastination. Ultimately, procrastination is the greatest thief of productivity, so let’s explore some ways to effectively navigate and manage project deadlines at work and at university!
1. Planning and Preparation
You’ve heard it a million times before – but for a good reason! Effective planning and preparation allows you to visualise your project to establish a timeline. Why is this helpful? Because sometimes a due date may seem so far into the future that you needn’t worry about it just yet, but this can be super deceptive! Therefore, creating a timeline calendar with a countdown allows you to be more realistic about how much time you’ve got to complete your project.
2. Break down the Project
Bite-size tasks are a lot less overwhelming than one huge overhanging project. Maybe you have a big final exam and you’re feeling really overwhelmed with the amount of content you need to revise, which can create a feeling of being lost and unsure of where to begin. So, to break down your “Study for Final Exam” task on your to-do list, you can create smaller tasks, such as “Revise Flashcards for Week 5”. This is a great way to make you feel more motivated and productive as you tick off small accomplishments!
3. Prioritise Tasks by Importance
Establishing the importance of each phase of your project allows you to dedicate sufficient time to work on and polish up the most critical aspects of the project. This is also a useful tip as you can plan your day around working on the most important and urgent tasks during the times you know you’re most energetic, motivated, and productive.
4. Be Realistic
A massive factor that can lead to feeling burnt out is by cramming in as much as you can in the shortest amount of time. We’ve all done it, so how can we fix it? Be realistic in how much you can get done in a day. Further, be realistic about how much you can get done during certain hours of the day dedicated to each of your broken-down tasks. This also makes you less likely to become disappointed if you are unable to complete that huge task you’ve assigned yourself to finish within an hour!
We hope our tips can be helpful with any upcoming exams, assignments, or work projects you have. We’d also like to remind you to be kind to yourself during busy times and to be wary of burning yourself out!