make people panic earlier
daily blog #57
What happens between the start of a project and the deadline? A lot of procrastination.
"I'll keep that in the back of my head." - Of course you won't. You have too many things to care about.
In many "deadline effect" research, when the deadline is reasonably shortened, people deliver faster at a higher quality (Cox, 2021). It's actually more productive to make people panic earlier.
What does this mean for teachers and team leaders?
Set earlier deadlines and provide earlier feedback.
Rarely do we have a D-Day launch in which everything has to be perfect. Most of the time, we have work that is always in progress. The benefit of setting earlier deadlines is the shorter feedback cycle = more chance and time to improve the end product.
Break down big projects into smaller milestones and set specific deadlines for each.
Don't ever say "Just do it as soon as possible." You are allowing procrastination!!! Instead, say "Can you get it done by 12:00 a.m Friday for me? If not, can you propose a reasonable time?"
What does this mean for you?
If no one is giving you a deadline, set it yourself for everything that you think is important. Don't waste the mental energy to "keep it in the back of your head".
Inspiration: