Recently, I had to remind
a project manager
that a key deadline
was approaching.
If we miss that deadline,
it’ll cost us
a LOT of money.
I shouldn’t have to do that.
A key part of the project manager role
is tracking and ensuring
the project meets
deadlines.
There’s really no point
of having a project manager
if they don’t do that.
If you’re a project manager,
and ALL business builders
are project managers,
track deadlines.
I had a hard deadline
on the 30th
and I pushed it,
working long hours,
to make it.
This week,
I’m rewarding myself
by resting,
by catching up
on that sleep
I missed
last week.
I’m working.
I can’t shut down
my business
entirely for a week
and not suffer
a drop in sales.
But I’m doing
the bare minimum.
Next week,
I’ll be back
to working full hours
and I’ll have more energy
to accomplish all those tasks.
Take time to rest
after pushing yourself.
Ensure you stay
as healthy as possible.
I like to be
1 story ahead of my release schedule.
When I have that buffer,
I don’t worry as much
about meeting deadlines.
This frees up my brain
to create.
One of my writing buddies
needs to have an entire YEAR
of releases written
in advance
or she becomes too worried
to create new stories.
Another writing buddy
releases stories as soon
as they are written.
Having an unreleased story
causes her stress.
Figure out the buffer
YOU need
and try your best to obtain it.
Note: If you are a
no buffer at all type of person,
consider creating artificial deadlines
to ensure you don’t miss
real deadlines.
I love to tweak projects.
I constantly want
to make small changes.
That f*cks up
product development.
It is a way
to guarantee
the product
will NEVER ship.
I know that
so I give myself
deadlines.
If I pass them,
I can no longer
change the product.
I also tend
to delegate tasks
and then walk away
from them.
I don’t want to be involved
with the delegated tasks
because I know
I’ll change the specs
and that will
f*ck up the process.
If you constantly make changes
or you work with someone
who constantly makes changes,
put in systems to deal with that issue.
Because it IS an issue.
I tweak stories.
I constantly refine them.
I don’t stop doing this
after the final edit
and it drives my editor
up the wall
because I usually insert typos.
The only thing
that pulls me out
of the revising death spiral
is a deadline.
I will set up a story
for pre-order
and booksellers will insist
the final version
be loaded by X date.
That deadline is the ONLY reason
my stories get published.
Seth Godin
shares
“The benefit is that
once we agree to the deadline,
we don’t have to worry about it anymore.
We don’t have to negotiate,
come up with excuses
or
even stress about it.
It won’t ship
when it’s perfect.
It will ship
because we said it would.”
If you constantly revise
like I do,
consider setting a firm deadline.