#facebook instant articles work rss Apple RSS The Irish Times - Business [p?c1=2&c2=8946263&cv=2.0&cj=1] IFRAME: //www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-M9Q373 * Search * Newsletters * Crossword * Notices * My Account * Subscribe * Sign In [adserv|3.0|826.1|5566035|0|225|ADTECH;loc=300;target=_blank;kvtopic=Wo rk;cookie=info;] Menu The Irish Times Tue, Dec 27, 2016 ^Sign In Welcome * The Irish Times * News * Sport * Business * Opinion * Life & Style * Culture * More * Video * Podcasts * Executive Jobs * Search * Subscribe * My Account * Sign In * Business * Work * The Economy * Your Money * Companies * Technology * Commercial Property * Comment All Business * The Economy + Budget 2017 + Small Business * Your Money + Personal Finance + Exchange Rates + Markets + Funds Tracker * Companies + Financial Services + Agribusiness & Food + Energy & Resources + Health & Pharma + Manufacturing + Media & Marketing + Retail & Services + Transport & Tourism * Technology + How to ... + Data Privacy + Tech Tools * Work * Commercial Property + Construction * Comment + Columnists * Innovation * Specials + Panama Papers + Entrepreneur of the Year + AIB Start-up Academy * Podcasts + Business Podcast * Partner Sites + Top1000 By using this website, you consent to our use of cookies. For more information on cookies see our Cookie Policy. (BUTTON) X Listicle: How to keep stress at bay when working to deadlines Only assign deadlines to work that matters and create minideadlines for larger projects Fri, May 13, 2016, 13:00 If you realise that you’ll miss a deadline or that an item is no longer a priority, be up front with the person who made the request If you realise that you’ll miss a deadline or that an item is no longer a priority, be up front with the person who made the request With the right strategies, you can get a productivity boost from deadlines without the stress. Here are three best practices: 1 Assign deadlines to work that matters We often feel pressured to assign a timeline for a project or task even when we don’t need to. If something isn’t a high priority, don’t set a deadline. When others ask, say, “I’ve added it to my to-do list.” Also, avoid giving unnecessarily specific deadlines. But if an activity is a high priority and you sense that it may get pushed aside, set a deadline. Make that deadline public by sharing it with a colleague or your manager, or by scheduling a progress meeting. Then pace yourself. Instead of setting one completion date, create minideadlines for pieces of larger projects. 2 Plan for contingencies Setting a personal deadline a day or two before the actual deadline ensures that if anything takes longer than expected, you can still wrap it up the next day and not stress out. It also helps to assume that others will be late. When possible, ask for items 24 to 48 hours in advance so there’s a buffer. 3 Keep stakeholders informed Whenever there’s an issue that could impact your ability to meet a milestone, communicate. Depending on the project, you may be able to adjust deadlines as long as you keep the stakeholders updated. For others, particularly external clients, you can set expectations that if others don’t meet their deadlines, it will lead to a timeline adjustment. If you realise that you’ll miss a deadline or that an item is no longer a priority, be up front with the person who made the request. Being transparent is much better for your stress level and the client relationship. – Copyright Harvard Business Review 2016 * Topics: * Work Subscribe. More from The Irish Times Build your external reputation Get strategic and take control of your career - six key steps to take Ideas flow faster with a lighter mind and in theory everyone should come back after the break brimming with ways to solve pre-Christmas problems and fired with enthusiasm for the projects that lie ahead. 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ADVERTISEMENT [adserv|3.0|826.1|5566034|0|170|ADTECH;loc=300;target=_blank;kvtopic=Wo rk;cookie=info;] ADVERTISEMENT Latest Business Monte dei Paschi rescue to cost Italian government €6.5bn 17:40 Bank crisis: Three lessons Italy can learn from Ireland 15:41 Home improvements planned by most homeowners, says AA 15:38 New tech gifts? Here’s what to do with your old phones 15:23 Brexit vote overshadowed a busy year for North’s business 13:03 ADVERTISEMENT [adserv|3.0|826.1|5566032|0|170|ADTECH;loc=300;target=_blank;kvtopic=Wo rk;cookie=info;] IFRAME: https://execjobs.irishtimes.com/widget/bootstrap/job/#i=4 Most Read in Business 1 Bank crisis: Three lessons Italy can learn from Ireland 2 Monte dei Paschi rescue to cost Italian government €6.5bn 3 New tech gifts? Here’s what to do with your old phones 4 Why retail’s early giddiness has given way to caution 5 Home improvements planned by most homeowners, says AA 6 Broadband operators await decision on 300,000 homes 7 What if . . . Germany doesn’t get its act together on infrastructure? 8 The AIB Start-up Academy shortlist is announced 9 Get strategic and take control of your career - six key steps to take 10 Caveat: Deloitte testimony on corruption spurs Ganley Never miss a story. 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