Whether you are a physician, lawyer, medical entrepreneur, or frankly, any kind of entrepreneur, some work and to-do’s will have deadlines. Oftentimes, this type of work can be boring at best, thus it can be difficult to tap into that entrepreneurial motivation. That said, here are a few of our favorite tips that will help you meet any deadline!
Tips to help you to meet any deadline:
Give Yourself Time
Since many of these tasks can be boring, it is really important to first make a list of tasks that you must complete on a daily, weekly, monthly, and yearly basis. When doing so, next to each task add the due dates! Then bold, italicize, create reminders, and highlight these dates!
Next, try and guess how much time you need to complete the task and add three extra hours. Then block out this time into your calendar. (this will adjust after you complete the tasks a few times and then you can schedule the realistic amount of time). Each person is different, so it is helpful to note that the time does NOT need to be all at once and you can break it out throughout the day, week, month and year.
Since plans always change, when creating the list of tasks and due dates, also note (next to the due date) what the penalty might be if the task is late. This might just be a bummer, but it could also be a fine (like late taxes). It is important to be aware of this if/when you need to reorganize your schedule.
Pro Tip: These tasks should always be in your one-page business plan. You know, the plan that should be visible from your desk at all times!
Slow Down
If you are able to give yourself ample time (which requires you to follow the above step), you can slow down, not rush, and likely catch mistakes. Believe it or not, slowing down during the first round of a task will often save time in the long run!
Sometimes (again, especially for boring tasks) we entrepreneurs have a tendency to procrastinate. When this happens, we often dive into the tasks and try to rush through them. No matter what, do not do this. Enter into the task with a sense of tranquility, and make an effort to cross each “t” and dot each “i”. Again, it will save time when a to-do is done right the first time!
Realistic Goals
We briefly touch on this concept in the first step (blocking out time to complete the task and then adding a couple of hours for the first few attempts). That said, this step is worth mentioning again. Not giving yourself ample time will just stress you out, causing you to make mistakes thus making the task take longer. So, try to set realistic goals from the start, and adjust when you have a better grasp on the actual time needed.
Stay Accountable
For many of us, “following through with our word”, is often a core value (one that is listed on our websites for all to see). Therefore, we always try to hit deadlines and fulfill promises we make to others. However, we do not always treat ourselves and our own deadlines the same! Believe it or not, this can have a negative impact on our overall sense of self-worth. So do yourself a favor and respect YOURSELF by staying accountable to your own deadlines!
Final Thoughts – How to Meet Any Deadline
Look, time is a resource that we entrepreneurs are often lacking. That said, it is critical to wrangle our tasks and calendars if we have any hope on-time completion! Therefore, try to implement the steps we list above and watch your ability to meet any deadline improve!