Theory of Deadlines
Executive Summary: The Theory of Deadlines
Why are deadlines necessary? Have you thought about it? Yes, they sometimes take our sleep away but would we do better if no deadlines ever existed? We accept a deadline as something that is given and don’t often notice it until it is dangling right above our head. But there must be a theory as to why deadlines were introduced in the first place, and why they still exist. So, let us unravel the Theory of Deadlines along with Bhumika Garg.
Deadlines – Love Them or Hate Them?
Someone once said
I love deadlines. I enjoy the whooshing noises they make as they go by.
Douglas Adams, The Salmon of Doubt
Are you one of those people that love deadlines and think they serve as a deterrent to staying on task and focused?
Or, do deadlines make you feel restrained and less creative?
Deadlines are Everywhere
We constantly deal with deadlines, whether they are related to our personal lives, professional lives, educational institutions, or workplaces. Demands and expectations in our culture are constantly evolving due to new technologies, creative abilities, habits, and tastes.
Deadlines are meant to keep us on track, but an unintended consequence of them is that they stifle our creativity. Although they occasionally serve as a motivating force to attain goals and sustain creativity, deadlines can impede growth and productivity.
How a person approaches a deadline also relies on their personality type. For instance, a perfectionist will always strive for excellence and originality, making deadlines arbitrary and of little value. On the other hand, an overachiever is driven to finish everything on time and to a high standard, and will stop at nothing to reach a deadline.
The Theory of Deadlines
So let’s jump right into The Theory of Deadlines now that we’ve covered what a deadline is and how people typically approach it. The theory of deadlines would describe how these deadlines come about, their benefits and drawbacks, and how to successfully manage deadlines to achieve your goals.
We typically establish deadlines so that we can finish our work on time. A task without a predetermined end point is simple to forget about or put off.
To prevent this, set deadlines. It promotes efficient productivity. Deadlines encourage teamwork and help us stay on schedule with complicated, multi-stage projects.
Dreams without deadlines are dead in the water. Deadlines are really lifelines to achieving our goals.
Mark Batterson, All In: You Are One Decision Away From a Totally Different Life
Divergent Views
Different people view deadlines differently. Someone might consider it a boon while some just simply like working at their own pace. Here are some advantages and disadvantages of deadlines.
Advantages of Deadlines
Similar to how a coin has two faces, deadlines have both advantages and downsides. Deadlines are frequently viewed as a tool that stifles creativity and raises stress levels. Although it does have these effects, it doesn’t change the fact that it is one of the most effective instruments for negative motivation. It establishes a time frame for when a task must be turned in. By doing so, they can prioritize their work and cut out wasteful routines from their calendars.
When a deadline is so imminent that you are compelled to act, it is the tipping point. You must also work considerably more quickly to make up for all the time you wasted while procrastinating. Many people would continue to put things off and never work with a sense of urgency if there were no deadlines.
Although it is a natural human tendency to become distracted, this tendency is less pronounced when we have pressing deadlines to meet. Time frames can be a strong motivational catalyst. The possibility of missing a deadline might make one feel pretty anxious. As a result of your worry, you step up your game, rise to the challenge, and deliver your finest work.
Disadvantages of deadlines
We have already covered some of the most significant benefits that deadlines offer. Let’s go in now to see what’s on the other side of it.
It is a well-known fact that deadlines are stressful. This tension is increased when they are too close together because this leads to overworking. This results in a person becoming detached from their surroundings, which can have a detrimental effect on their mental health.
Deadlines can sometimes stifle creativity and cause someone to rush through their work without stopping to consider anything else. It gets difficult to complete the work before deadlines approach if there isn’t enough time to complete it. The quality of the finished product diminishes when there is a demonstrable shortage of time to accomplish the work. It can cause the caliber of the work to decline. It might lead to uncertainty and bewilderment about where to begin and how to proceed with one’s task in order to reach a deadline that appears to be all but achievable.
Dealing with Deadlines
There is always a fix or a strategy that can be used to make things right. Deadlines cannot be avoided, but we may prepare ourselves to handle them skillfully and calmly.
You must accurately analyze your skills (or the capabilities of staff) and be aware of a few practical strategies for putting a halt to deadlines if you want to avoid feeling stressed out and wanting to take some sedatives.
We can “eat one frog a day” and break a big goal into multiple smaller ones. It implies to break a long-term objective into several shorter objectives with due dates. In actuality, it would entail switching from deadlines to timelines. Timelines provide a specific action plan, in contrast to deadlines. Then, just write down a plan of what has to be done because it is really tough to remember everything. Remind yourself of the deadlines frequently because you might have more than one to meet.
Assign a deadline to your biggest objectives and stick to it so they don’t become just another litany of “what ifs” and sad regrets.
Carlos Wallace, The Other 99 T.Y.M.E.S: Train Your Mind to Enjoy Serenity
Related Read: Three C’s of Delegation
Deadlines are the key
If deadlines are set sensibly and effectively, they will unquestionably become the key to the project’s successful completion. Connect with friends and family to take a break from work rather than getting too caught up in it. This improves your capacity to accomplish more while also maintaining good health. These procedures assist workers in avoiding stress and sadness at work.
Overworking oneself to the detriment of their health in order to gain attention and money may seem wise in the short term, but not in the long. Deadlines are obstacles to growth, but if they are handled correctly and with intelligence, it is possible to meet them without experiencing any inconvenience.
Related Read: An Abundant Life
Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.
Winston Churchill
Deadlines: End Game?
Let us keep in mind that just because you miss a deadline doesn’t imply the game is over. Deadlines are just a period of time. They do affect the success and quality of your work, but they are not the only factor. When it comes to finishing a task, creativity and wellness are important factors as well.
Keep in mind that successful is defined as “one who never quits”, not “one who never fails.”
Related Read: Dealing with Failure
About The Author
Bhumika Garg is a voracious reader with a passion for business and finance.
She is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in commerce at Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University and has a keen interest in subjects like Mathematics and Data Analysis.
She enjoys discussing mental health and wellbeing. Since the anxiety of missing deadlines is one of the most significant causes of mental stress, this inspired her to write about deadlines.
Who is the author of this theory?