The statute runs on the ninth, so we get the complaint filed by the eighth. We have to, so we do.
What about things that don’t have a deadline? We put them off. We procrastinate. Especially if it’s something we don’t want to do.
But we know this is a bad habit and we want to overcome it. So we make up a deadline. A firm date when we will have the work done. We put it on our calendar. It’s in writing. We see the due date coming up. We’re determined to beat the deadline.
But we don’t.
The day comes and goes and we don’t do the work. We were probably busy doing things that had a real deadline.
I read about a study that confirms what we already know: self-imposed deadlines don’t work. At least for things we really don’t want to do. We procrastinate for a reason, and writing down a deadline doesn’t eliminate that reason.
There is a solution. A way to make a self-imposed deadline work.
You need a deadline AND a penalty for missing it.
When you set a deadline, tell someone. Someone who will hold you accountable.
Tell your client when the work will be done. Promise to deliver it on that day. Put that in writing. You don’t want an unhappy client. Or a client who thinks you are incompetent. Or a client who sues. So you get the work done. Because you have to.
If you really have a problem with procrastination, put in your retainer agreement that the work will be delivered on the date promised or there will be no fee. Or, 10% reduction for every day it is late. Or some other costly consequence.
You’ll get the work done on time, won’t you? Yeah, you will.
You can do something similar with non-billable work or projects. Have you been procrastinating on your website? Tell your boss, partner, or spouse when the work will be done and ask them to hold you accountable.
If you have difficulty estimating when you can finish a big project, break it down into components and set a deadline for the first one. If you want to write a book, for example, set a deadline for completing the first chapter or the first draft. After that, set another deadline for the next component.
You can use penalties to finish any project or achieve any goal. I know a vegetarian who publicly promised that if she didn’t meet a certain goal, she would eat a McDonald’s hamburger every day for a month. Her goal was a big one, but yeah, she made it.
Get serious about marketing. Here’s help.
