Struggling with juggling deadlines?

My cent always and always start by prioritizing tasks & setting clear goals. we should break projects into smaller steps & track our progress. Regularly review & adjust our plan to stay on course. Alongside communicate openly with our team about challenges. As Tim Ferriss said "Focus on being productive instead of busy." This mindset will help us manage deadlines more effectively and achieve our goals. Best of luck !

Prioritize tasks: Use a prioritization method like the Eisenhower Matrix or ABCDE method to categorize tasks by urgency and importance. Focus on high-priority items first to manage deadlines effectively and avoid last-minute rushes. Create a schedule: Develop a detailed timeline or use a project management tool to plan and track deadlines. Break tasks into smaller steps with specific deadlines to avoid feeling overwhelmed and adjust plans as needed. Set boundaries and manage time: Allocate dedicated time blocks for specific tasks and avoid multitasking. Use techniques like the Pomodoro Technique to maintain focus and improve productivity. Communicate with stakeholders about realistic deadlines and negotiate extensions if necessary.

Existem ferramentas clássicas para contribuir para a priorização das sua listinha de tarefas. Eu adoro a 5W2H, por exemplo. Mas, independentemente das ferramentas, é o mindset correto que vai permitir que você consiga priorizar adequadamente. - você consegue separar o que é importante do que é urgente? - dentre as atividades que você considera importante, você sabe o porquê de elas serem importantes? - essas atividades são importantes para você ou para outra pessoa? - o que acontece se você não fizer ou atrasar a entrega de uma atividade ou outra? - do que você está disposto a abrir mão para priorizar o que está priorizando? Essas são algumas perguntas legais para você responder para você mesmo e, aí sim, usar uma ferramenta para apoio.

Being able to identify clear goals and objectives early on is critical. From the get-go, you need to define what the tasks are, organize them in order of importance and then develop a path that will lead to success. Mapping out a strategy early on while looking at the big picture will help you visualize the journey from start to finish at the highest level. It can be useful in assessing more definitively the enormity of the tasks and related workload, and enable you to identify from the onset whether outside support may be needed. If so, put the pieces in place early so that no one is caught by surprise and all parties are working off the same page. Organization is key to succeeding.

One best approach When deadlines are overwhelming, apply the Pareto Principle (80/20 rule). This means 80% of your results come from 20% of your efforts. Identify the few key tasks that will yield the most significant outcomes. Prioritize these high-impact tasks to maximize productivity and ensure the most crucial work gets done first. This helps you manage time efficiently and focus on what truly matters.

Echoing others, the key to achieve one or multiple deadlines is breaking things down. As Zig Ziglar uniquely put; "earthquakes and hurricanes get all the publicity, but termites do more damage.” The ability to accomplish great things more often than not comes from taking a complex and daunting goal and breaking it down into smaller, more achievable, and incremental steps. Provided each step is aimed at the greater objective than it is just down to the hours and days it takes to complete each one. Seldom do we have the force or resources to knock a house over in one push, but small bites over time create the same end result.

Logros pequeños, son la oportunidad de lograr objetivos más ambiciosos, segmentar es una oportunidad para tener una visión específica de tu proyecto, porque te da una perspectiva más focalizada de cada elemento. Las soluciones más efectivas vienen cuando nos detenemos a ver el problema y sus diferentes partes, no te pierdas esta oportunidad y la de hacer preguntas que te permitan conocer mejor tu proyecto.

Once the master plan is in place, looking at progress through smaller phases may make the journey easier to manage and appear less daunting. Too often, we focus on the last phases of a project or task and because they may appear so far away, they tend to become overwhelming. I compare the approach to a trip being made cross country, from coast to coast. Once the planning is completed and the journey is mapped out, don't focus on the destination. It is easier to break down the trip in smaller segments looking at the next city or town, looking through a lens consisting of days instead of weeks or months. Before you know it, you will be well on your way towards your destination and chances are, you'll enjoy the journey a lot more!

Break Down Large Tasks: Divide larger projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. Assign realistic deadlines for each subtask to avoid feeling overwhelmed by the overall project. Celebrate the completion of each subtask to maintain momentum and motivation.

Você já deve ter ouvido mil vezes que você deve definir objetivos ambiciosos, sair da zona de conforto e otras cositas más. Beleza, entendo. Mas sugiro que você defina uma VISÃO ambiciosa e a quebre em objetivos menores, preferencialmente de curto/médio prazos. Perceber seus avanços na direção certa vai permitir que você celebre suas pequenas conquistas e ganhe motivação adicional a cada ciclo para que você chegue onde quer chegar. Ter clareza do que é a visão e o que é um objetivo que compõe essa visão organiza as ideias - e a agenda.

Optimize Your Schedule: Block off time in your calendar for focused, uninterrupted work on high-priority tasks. Minimize distractions and limit time spent on low-value activities. Consider using the Pomodoro Technique or similar time-management methods to stay on track.

As a coach and mentor, I often help my clients to focus on the priorities and use the quadrant: Quadrant 1: Urgent and important. Quadrant 2: Not urgent yet important. Quadrant 3: Urgent but not important. Quadrant 4: Not urgent and not important. This truly helps them to prioritise what has to be, and avoid to get into panic to meet the deadlines.

Communicate Proactively: Communicate with stakeholders, clients, or team members about your deadlines and any potential delays or challenges. Collaborate with others to manage dependencies and ensure aligned expectations. Regularly update relevant parties on your progress to maintain transparency

When juggling multiple deadlines, it’s smart to seek support. Asking mentors for advice on workload management can provide fresh strategies.

Sticking to a plan is very important. Being able to remain disciplined and committed is key. However, being able to adapt to unexpected surprises is also important. In the planning process, it is prudent to build in extra time for such inconvenient situations that may arise and have a backup plan or plan B in place. Continuously monitoring progress is strategically beneficial. My mentor would always tell me that in order to know where you are going to be at any given time, you need to know where you are. Always know where you are.

Leverage Productivity Tools: Utilize project management software, task-tracking apps, or calendar tools to help you stay organized and on top of deadlines. Experiment with different productivity techniques, such as the GTD (Getting Things Done) method, to find what works best for you.