What do you think the world’s greatest invention is? The wheel? Fire? Electricity? The Internet? Fidget spinners? There are a lot of opinions. Business consultant John Carlton believes the world’s greatest invention is ….. (drumroll please) …..
…. the deadline!
Without which, he says, nothing else of consequence would ever have been invented or accomplished. Why? Because human beings respond to deadlines. Sporting events are played against the clock, and what is the most intense and important part of the game…the last 2 minutes! The infomercial….order in the next 15 minutes to get this fantastic deal! WWII was won partly due to the race between the Allies and the Axis for who developed a working atomic bomb first!
Let’s see the deadline as our friend. For every task, project and goal, set a deadline at the very beginning. It starts the clock ticking and pushes you into action. Break down larger projects with smaller tasks…and set deadlines for each of them. If someone asks you to do something the first question out of your mouth should be – “by when?” – set the deadline.
There is one other step to making the deadline work…. keeping track of it! If you do not keep track of your deadlines and commitments, setting them won’t matter much. Use a task manager like Outlook Tasks or Reminders; a spreadsheet or even a note pad will work well; add them to your calendar or put them in an email folder you regularly review.
"Call me braggart, call me arrogant. People at ABC, and elsewhere, have called me worse. But when you need the job done on deadline, you’ll call me.” – Sam Donaldson
“Everyone needs deadlines.” – Walt Disney
#ForumSensei