If Setting Fake Deadlines Doesn’t Work for You, Do This Instead
In nearly every business and personal development book I have ever read, setting deadlines is mentioned as an important aspect of getting things done. The problem for me is that my brain knows all too well that the deadlines I set for myself are fake. My brain doesn’t care about them. So, I stopped using fake deadlines and found a new way that works just as well. The “new way” is what this blog post is about.
When working a 9–5 we have lots of deadlines, either hard ones or soft ones. Our colleagues expect us to be done at a set date, so they can continue the work. Our bosses expect to see finished tasks on his/her desk, or we are going to be in trouble.
Life as a one-person business owner is entirely different. Yes, we have deadlines. We have clients waiting for a specific thing to be done, we have meetings that we need to prepare for, etc. However, most of your day-to-day work doesn’t have hard deadlines.
Instead, we set up fake deadlines. We make a deal with ourselves that we need to be done with X before a certain date, come h*ll or high water. Then life happens, and the deadline is pushed. We might set up deadlines by announcing a launch on social media, which means we need to be done before a certain date. That one works for me, but I can’t do that for all the tasks and projects in my business.
I don’t know about you, but my thick skull doesn’t give a flying F about fake deadlines I set up for myself. They are so easy to postpone if you have even the slightest excuse to do some other tasks that feel important now or just feel like doing more than the deadline task.
I have disappointed myself with fake deadlines so many times, I have berated myself and told myself I could do anything, and that I would never reach success. Fake deadlines bring a tsunami of negative feelings and outcomes. That is why I don’t set fake deadlines anymore. I deserve better, my mental health deserves better. If you are in somewhat the same boat as me, you might want to pivot from fake deadlines and do this instead: Follow a planned process.
Process instead of deadline:
Instead of fake deadlines, I set up a plan of execution. I focus on following said process and not an artificial date.
When I am working on a project, I start by dividing it into chunks. Right now, I am working on a new online course, so I have laid out the steps like this:
1. Outline Online course and bonus material.
2. Create the curriculum.
3. Create slides for the curriculum.
4. Record videos
5. Set up in platform.
6. Create extra material (workbook + transcribed video text)
7. Set up and write a sales page.
8. Write add copy + set up ads.
After chucking up the project, I assess how long each task is going to take. On big projects like this one, I only assess the first 2–4 steps and do the rest when these are done.
Then I plan those into my work schedule. I don’t like having a rigid plan, as it kills my spirit and drive, so I plan lightly.
Example:
Week 1: Outline Online course and bonus material and create curriculum. Week 2: Create slides for curriculum Week 3: Record videos.
I make the tasks from the project my most important focus of the week.
Why it works:
- Removes focus from completion to process.
- Removes the pressure of looming deadlines.
- Divides projects into steps, making them less overwhelming.
- Focusing on each step rather than the whole project is less daunting.
There´s one problem though. Removing deadlines CAN bring challenges with wanting everything to be perfect and spending way too long on the project. Dividing the project into steps and allocating a set amount of time to each step does help prevent perfectionism. It might not be enough.
If you struggle with perfection, I advise you to set expectations beforehand. Make a deal with yourself about how “perfect” you want the result to be. 80% perfect is often plenty, nobody but you will know the difference between 80% and 100%.
Practice being okay with 80% perfection and remember that version 1.0 is better than version none!
A step-by-step process paired with a plan is an effective tool if setting up fake deadlines doesn’t work for you.
Start by dividing the project into steps.
Then allocate a timeframe for each. I like to plan loosely so I always plan on a weekly basis. If you prefer freedom of choice in your schedule do the same.
Then, go execute only focusing on the next step ahead of you.
Originally published at https://mariaskaarup.com on August 26, 2023.
