Five Tips to Meet your Deadlines in a World Full of Distractions
When a deadline is looming, we all recognize the venti shot of cortisol that courses through our veins and the butterflies and procrastination one feels as the days, hours, and minutes tick by. Whether you’re working on a project independently or with a team, it must get done. Suddenly, you recall 20 things you don’t really need to do - like cut your toenails, water the plants, or check the mail – but now they’re all pressing. And, the imaginary 20-lb weight on your shoulders won’t lift until you start chiseling away at your deadline.
It’s not a great feeling, but it’s one we all experience and must overcome daily. After years of figuring out what works, here are five tips to meet your deadlines with less hassle and more ease.
Know your prime creating conditions– In a past interview about creativity with Daily Routines, Nobel Prize and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Toni Morrison shared advice she gives her students:
“I tell my students one of the most important things they need to know is when they are at their best, creatively. They need to ask themselves, What does the ideal room look like? Is there music? Is there silence? Is there chaos outside or is there serenity outside? What do I need in order to release my imagination?”
For Morrison, writing before dawn began as a necessity. “I had small children when I first began to write and I needed to use the time before they said, ‘Mama’–and that was always around five in the morning. Later, while involved in writing Beloved in 1983, I realized that I was clearer-headed, more confident and generally more intelligent in the morning. The habit of getting up early, which I had formed when the children were young, now became my choice. I am not very bright or very witty or very inventive after the sun goes down.” Once you declare ‘team early bird’ or ‘team night owl,’ create during this time, when you’re at your best.
Photo caption: My guys and me after respective pick ups.
Impose Time Restraints - My work day revolves around morning bus drop offs and afternoon bus pick ups. These times are non-negotiable as I have two young men who depend on me to be there come hell or high water. So, the magic must happen between this window, full stop. Other times, I’ll set a 20-30 minute alarm to complete a task. This is just enough time to get ideas churning and thoughts out without having extra time to ruminate over an email or pesky draft. In fact, this practice forces me to hyper-focus on my task because the clock is ticking! Use real and self-imposed time restraints to supercharge your ideation sessions.
Create a challenge - My last blog post was about the lessons learned from failure, and my brother, Jonah B, challenged me to draft the post without using ‘failure’ or any derivative of the word. He sent me this Huffington Post piece on why people should stop using the word, and even though I wasn’t sold on the argument, I was up for the challenge. It was interesting how many times I wanted to use the word, but had to find another way to communicate the sentiment. I’d argue that this challenge made the end-piece stronger. As you draft your next piece or dive into your next project, challenge yourself not to use specific buzzwords that are overused in your industry. In other cases, challenges might be out of your control and already built into your process like an overly ambitious timeline or a prickly personality to navigate. Bottom line, challenges initially seem like limitations, but they force you to think differently and find a solution no matter what.
Go off the grid - In a world filled with app notifications, a symphony of pings, multiple browsers, and breaking news alerts, putting my phone on airplane mode and restricting internet access forces me to focus on the task at hand. Writing, in particular, requires me to mute all external stimuli to get my thoughts out and move into action. If I can’t distract myself by texting a friend about the crazy draft that’s hanging over my head, I’m moved to actually write it. And, whether you complete your task or just make a nice dent, build in small rewards for your progress. For me, sometimes the reward is going to the gym, calling a friend, or eating a cookie after reaching a milestone. Reducing distractions is key to maintaining focus.
Return to nature/activities that bring you joy - Oftentimes, our best ideas strike when we’re in the shower, tinkering with a knick knack or out in nature. Your mind and American culture might have you convinced that you must chain yourself to your desk until you make progress, but stepping away usually proves more productive. And, when you tune in enough, you might start recognizing patterns, like an idea or tagline comes to you when you’re relaxed and walking on the trail. Find ways to inject rest or play into your workday because ideas can strike at any moment.
Photo caption: Walking on the Matthew Henson Trail
Deadlines aren’t going anywhere, so it’s advantageous to figure out how to tackle them more efficiently whether you work independently or collaboratively. What’s your best tip for tackling deadlines?
Before I go, here’s what I’m thinking about:
A YouTube series - Dinners with DeMar: NBA player DeMar DeRozan provides a behind-the-scenes look at juggling it all and the toll it’s taken on his mental health. By talking about his challenges with peers and getting help himself, DeMar lets people know they’re not alone.
A quote: “Slavery has never been abolished from America’s way of thinking.” ~Nina Simone
An impressionable moment: My 10yo tested my love for him via this question: “How fast can you find a picture of me on your phone?” Can you imagine if all the people in our daily lives asked us this question?