Deadlines! We’ve all encountered this at different times of our lives. The project work at school, the preparation of those documents for crucial meetings at work, getting those files ready for that company to get those huge sums of money you’ve been waiting for, and ensuring you get to the airport right on time to catch your flight. But honestly, not all of us are good at working to meet deadlines. People love last minute stuff. But with little steps, you definitely can avoid making people grouchy because you messed up.

First, let me show you a trick. Stop procrastinating. You know the programme is next two weeks and that all-important meeting is next month. Why do you wait till three days to time to start gathering your files? You end up making unpardonable mistakes and unnecessarily putting pressure on yourself.

This brings me to my next issue which is-breaking your task into different segments. I’ll talk for instance about organizing that event that will bring thousands together. Let’s say a concert. I’m not an event organizer and I won’t pretend to be one. But I think in my small head you probably would need some weeks to get the venue ready, call the sound engineers, lighting experts, MCs, Ushers, musicians you want to perform at the event; all of these I think must be planned and settled on, at least a week or a couple of days to time.

And what about that hot talk show? The most watched talk show? I know you know your job but let’s be honest; sometimes you relax and before you realize time has caught up with you. So you bring people you never planned for and they don’t give the standard show you want, your ratings go down, sponsors for the programme begin to shy away and you sit there complaining. Your lack of planning ahead to meet the timelines for the programme gave you the results you’re now seeing on your plate.

I remember one of my teachers at the Junior High School. This man was so ‘hard’. Everybody talked about him. He was an English Teacher. He wanted to teach us a lesson that would be with us eternally- ensuring we avoid having crashes with deadlines. So this is what he did; if you got to class sixty seconds after the actual time which was 8 am, he would sack you. He did that over and again to the extent that if you knew you were late, you wouldn’t dare get close to the door of that classroom.

But interestingly, this principle did not apply to him all the time. There were times he would get to class 30 minutes after 8 and I would be so so incensed. I would go like; shouldn’t he sack himself for also coming late or maybe should he not write a query in our as in students’ name? I can see you laughing. I just did after recounting this experience. But the lesson stuck with me anyway.

Now, hear this. You need to make a conscious effort to beat your deadlines. Think about that thing you want to do every time and as you do, you will find innovative ways of doing it gradually until you get everything done before the D-Day.

Furthermore, don’t bite more than you can chew. Sometimes it’s hard to say no especially to people you respect or are higher in authority than you, but when you know deep down in your heart that you have so much on your hands and you cannot take that additional responsibility, just say no. It may seem mean but will protect your little reputation.

But you see, I must also admit that we are humans and we cannot always be on time no matter how much we try. But inexcusably, we should apologize or show remorse with an attempt not to repeat our mistakes when we make them. One thing I also realized is that people just don’t care about timelines and deadlines.

I get so angry when I arrange with people to meet at certain times and they don’t show up at those times or perhaps for a taxi driver to pick me up, he agrees but wouldn’t come and will not call either. It is rather when you call after some minutes have passed the actual time that they’ll then explain to you their numerous reasons. Helloo! Am I strange? I think it’s unacceptable.

Perhaps, I need not say much…the most important is getting started. Stop pushing the start till thy kingdom come or you see the signs that the programme is about starting. Did these few words help out? Don’t get stuck in the attitude of not meeting deadlines!