WE ALL have work backlog experiences. Those deadlines to beat in three days that lag on after a week, and even in months, that become deadly as new tasks begin to pile up while other reports or assignments remain pending.
And you say that “this is me” and you cannot be as fast compared to others. Well, that will be alright as long as you are not causing distress to others. But if your chronic unproductiveness affects your co-workers then that is another story!
It is a shame to give a 20 percent effort to a task where others have given their 100 percent effort. It is even more unacceptable to say “I cannot do this” because “meron akong pinagdadaanan ngayon.” People should not use chronic excuses to save their faces from not doing their responsibilities because of laziness.
So, how do we deal with this so that we can deliver outputs that are expected from us? How do we respect deadlines?
Learn how to prioritize. List all your tasks and post them where you can see them often and know what is urgent and important among them. But knowing alone cannot help as it should be coupled with a passion or feeling of urgency to meet the tasks’ deadline.
Usually, people who cannot beat deadlines are those who do it habitually. This is so unfortunate that in spite of constant reminders, you remain not to be complying with the assignments on time. I bet this is going to affect your performance evaluation and it will be a sign that you cannot take full responsibility for higher tasks.
Dedicate your time by heart. There are tasks that are both taking over the priority-number-one spot in your list and so there is no room for you not to deal with it immediately. We all deserve to take a rest, but it is more relaxing to do it when your mind is free of worries.
Sometimes, we take three hours by just only gossiping, three hours in social media and only three hours spent on working out of the supposed 8 hours a day that is allocated for the job. If this is how you work, then do not be upset of finding yourself not being able to beat deadlines. Spend the time intended for work; after all, you are paid for that.
Delegate tasks appropriately. It is not good to delegate everything to others. Remember that you have your expertise and you know what you can do well. Be careful of sharing tasks to people who are actually lazy from head to toe. They might not only delay your reports but they may also end up copy-pasting ideas from the internet which would kill you in the long run because of plagiarism. People sometimes don’t care much about the consequences of their actions as long as everything becomes easier for them. Spare yourself of these insensitive people!
Respecting deadlines may not be too important to you. But remember that our output defines our professional credibility. Hence, it is essential that you should manage both your work and personal life and keep it in balance. Do not be self-centered. Just a reminder – “if may pinagdadaanan ka, lahat naman po tayo ay may pinagdadaanan, magkakaiba nga lang ang daan.”
Indeed, Diana Scharf has a point to say that “goals are dreams with deadlines”. So, defy and refine yourself now and learn how to respect deadlines!