The Other Way to Manage Deadlines

There is one way of managing deadlines which is you figuring out how to get it done. That is managing your creative time and I wrote about that here. This is about the other way of managing deadlines which is to say how you might work with others to move mountains, ahem, the deadline. 

So, you’re jammed up. This is where you need to have a conversation with your project manager or account manager or client. And the magic question is, is this a hard date? I have found over the years that about 25% of the time, yes, it is. It is an immovable pub due date or launch date or an already scheduled meeting or whatever. That is what I mean by a hard date.

However, that means that 75% of the time, it is not. This could mean several things:

1. It’s not a hard deadline, but a deadline that someone promised. And their willingness to go back and unpromise depends on the person and the situation.
2. It’s not a hard deadline, but someone didn’t understand the hours needed for the project. It can be hard to navigate the difference between time and effort. Hopefully, they can resolve this for you. It is immensely helpful if you raise a hand on something like this prior to the day something is due. The longer you wait, the more it’s just going to be on you to sort out.
3. It’s an arbitrary deadline that someone made up to create a milestone or keep the project going. These can often change fairly easily.

If you've had some major life event in your world, people should be understanding and accommodating. I'm talking about day to day stuff. And going in with an idea of how much longer you need to complete something is also helpful.

If it is a hard date:

In an agency setting, is there someone with availability to help? Delegating is a good skill to have. I have known designers that really hold their projects close. I’ve never been one of those. I’m happy to pass something off when needed, and also happy to work on someone else’s project in return. 

Remember there are two kinds of creative time – one flexible and one inflexible. Decide how much time you have to spend on each one.

Sometimes you just need to listen to some really hard, really loud music and knock it out. Don’t discount music as a technique to help you work efficiently. For me it helps my brain go to a really focused place. Years ago I worked with a guy who listened to Marilyn Manson to write his ad copy. Whatever works for you.