Image by uml.edu By Brian Hamlin
Staff Writer Everyone has been given an assignment or project where people feel like they have forever to complete it and do a good job. But then people procrastinate with all that time and the due date gets comes up before they even realize it. And then people work really hard pulling their hair out the night before it's due to get it complete, when they had two weeks in the first place. According to Time Management Ninja, a reputable source for using your work time effectively and minimizing your workload, “By keeping tight deadlines, you will increase your productivity and get more done.” But maybe shorter deadlines can help get work done quicker with more quality. It’s a tough skill to learn, but when done right, making shorter due dates can increase productivity and force people to use their time more effectively than ever before. The trick depends on what task is being done. If a task is repetitive and the finished product is clear, than this trick works perfectly. If the set deadline too short or quality of work will not be there. If something that needs a more creative outlook, this trick is not ideal. According to the BBC, for most workers, shortening a deadline to tackle repeat tasks can be a trick to boost productivity. There are multiple things that somebody needs to know before they get going. First, the deadlines need to be organized throughout the day. The most structured, and shortest deadlines should be first, and as the day moves on, work on less structured and longer deadlines. Next, the way the deadline is set is important. If it’s too long, procrastination is a definite possibility, if it’s too short, than rushing is a factor and the quality of work is at stake .”Without that slack, we’re likely to see less creativity and less innovation” (BBC). Parkinson’s law states that work will expand as to fill the time allotted to complete it. According to Fast Company’s multiple interview sources, work is “elastic” meaning that it stretches and shrinks to fit the time frame. If two weeks is the deadline, it will take two weeks, if two days is the deadline, it will take two days. Third, if there is too many short term deadlines, a person can easily get burnt out and this method will render useless. “It’s easy to get caught up in [only setting] short term goals. You can suffer burnout.” Overall, this trick can really help anybody be more productive and pump out better work. But this is still hard, there really is no easy way. Deadlines need to be organized and set for the right amount of time, and the hardest challenge is for the average person to hold themselves accountable for these deadlines. These are self made, nobody else is accountable for them. |
LJHSLakeridge Junior High School is an award-winning academic institution located in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Archives |