You Need To Give Yourself More Realistic Deadlines

Your aggressive deadlines are causing more harm than good.

I had a unique consulting client late last year.

It was a small business, biotech but a bit outside of my usual startup clientele. But the project was a fascinating hybrid of business and productivity. My work with this company was to help figure out goals and strategies to move the business forward. But also, to help this small team figure out how to better execute on the strategies we put in place. Instead of reacting to each email or phone call they receive all day, without actually moving the business forward.

Plus, the CEO was a woman, which is not as common in my industry as I’d like.

I was very excited about the opportunity.

Early in the engagement, we had a big strategy session. I do these on the early side, so that when we get to the nitty gritty, we have some sort of big picture map. After that session, we break down all the tasks and create some priorities. Work that is important for the business, not just urgent or shiny. Things to get done that will truly move the business forward.

The CEO of this small business was also in charge of writing a major grant for the company. They had a good chance of getting this grant, once submitted. And the grant would be transformative for the company.

The strategy session highlighted how important the grant was. She saw that completing it should be in her Top 3 priorities.

The following week, we sat down one-on-one to break down all the tasks involved in her key priorities. I talked to her about the work remaining on the grant. We broke it down into specific, discrete tasks. There was a lot to be done. But I felt we had made real progress in defining what, exactly, were the remaining steps.

The we talked about scheduling. About how much she already had on her plate. About her controller, about to go on maternity leave and the fact that she did not have someone to cover for her. And about the other two priorities in her Top 3, which both needed a significant time commitment as well.

And then she told me that she would be able to finish the work on the grant in the next…

Related posts:

It was the first day of work after one month training as a Voice Agent. I walked into the floor feeling confident and focused. I went into my cabin and sat down to start the day. But before I could…

Do you find yourself always making excuses to start a project? Do you have so many things to do but can’t set your mind to do anything? Do you lack the motivation to start a hobby, even though you…

I was browsing through Facebook Marketplace when I came across a curious listing: Samsung Gear S2 — only $50. Wow, I said. Impulsively, I shot the seller a message: “Is this still available?” My…