Today is Labor Day. We remember all work: wage earners, independent contractors, entrepreneurs, managers, clergy, and non-profit semi-volunteers. Work is done under a variety of organizations: unions, professional, and none at all. There are multiple paths to success and multiple ways to measure it.
This year we’re celebrating the workplace quality of timeliness.
Deadlines
By Jack Le Moine
The most overlooked quality of work and success in life is timeliness. It is easy to be on time but it is also hard – hard to be on time consistently.
Just showing up for work on time can be hard. There’s the old saying, “Well begun is half done.” Meeting a deadline begins with beginning your work on time and the first step for that is showing up on time.
The chief enemy of deadlines is procrastination. The best weapon against that is breaking up a project into smaller, tiny tasks. Just do this task today and then the next one tomorrow. If the deadline is the same day (today), then substitute the phrase “in a few minutes” for the word “tomorrow”. In any case, these tasks should be according to a schedule. Yes, this amounts to adding a lot more deadlines to your life but they will be deadlines for smaller tasks. Instead of one big mountain of a deadline, you bust it up to small hills to overcome.
If the deadline is too short for the time to complete your project, then you should talk to your boss and explain the reasons for that. In the worst-case scenario at least, he will be informed of the reasons why you are late. Best case scenario: you either get help or an extension of time from him.
Most importantly people will notice if you are on time or not even above the other quality attributes of your work (not that they will notice them, too!)
For this year’s Labor Day resolution: meet those deadlines.
Further information on: Labor Day.
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