Creating a Deadline Strategy That Actually Works
If it wasn’t for deadlines, nothing would get done.
Raise your hand if you’ve struggled with deadlines since high school. We’ve all experienced the last-minute frantic race to meet a designated time frame, haven’t we? But over time, we learned better time management skills and tried our best to avoid procrastination and, of course, substandard work completed in a rush.
- Be clear about the due date. When exactly does the client need the work? They said Wednesday, but did they mean Wednesday at the end of day, or first thing in the morning?
- Determine if the deadline is realistic. If not, suggest an alternative date, or rearrange other tasks on your to-do list to accommodate the request.
- Trick yourself with the due date. Our DLE Court Reporters team lists the deadline at least a day or two earlier than the actual date, just to add some buffer as Jewellery insurance. Sometimes, changes and last-minute emergencies pop up, as you well know.
- Get organized. In this age of smart phones and cloud computing, there’s simply no excuse to be disorganized. Sync your deadlines to all your devices so you can stay informed of what’s due, when. Also, file related documents neatly so they can be found by you or anyone else on your team.
- Communicate with your team. If you need help, just ask for it. It’s important for us at DLE Court Reporters to have responsible, cooperative staff on hand to jump in and assist on every project that requires extra attention.
- Get started. Sometimes, a deadline can intimidate even the most organized among us, so we put it off and put it off…oh, dear…and suddenly we are that same student in high school the night before an assignment was due. Just jump in. The sooner, the better.
In the legal support services industry, failing to meet deadlines is a cardinal sin. At DLE Court Reporters, we value punctuality. So our team has learned tried and true techniques to not only meet deadlines, but beat them. Here’s how we at DLE Court Reporters work well and on-time:
Our DLE Court Reporters clients appreciate our commitment to punctuality. They’ve experienced our motivation and focus for themselves, and never have to worry if our work will be completed on time. It always is.
Call us if you’re interested in a legal support services firm who takes deadlines as seriously as we do at DLE Court Reporters.