14 Important Tips For Meeting A Deadline

Today we focus on meeting deadlines as this is the area many freelancers struggle with. Sure, you can do a great job, but if you don’t deliver your projects on time, you’re not looking for a lot of repeat customers.

Worry about deadlines.This is the first step as many people are very lax with deadlines. You have to be very serious to meet her and make her a priority. And make exceeding a deadline a cardinal sin in your independent book. When you’ve done this step, the rest of it is just logistics.
Make a list of projects and deadlines. If deadlines are important to you, YOU write them down and have a place to check them frequently to make sure you know what the due date is and when. I use a simple online list, but you could also use paper. The tool you use doesn’t matter as long as you use it.
Communicate a clear deadline. Make sure you and the customer agree to a specific deadline, including the time of day (and also take time zone differences into account). If the deadline is fuzzy, you will have a hard time meeting it. If the client doesn’t give you a deadline, when should you get bitten by one?
Work on a pillow. It helps to create a cushion for your deadline. To get a clear idea of how long a project will take, break it down into smaller parts (see below for more information). If you’re not sure how long each of these parts will take, break them into even smaller pieces. And for each piece, add a small pillow to your estimated time. Then you add up the estimated times of all the parts and you have a built-in pillow. This will allow for delays, and IF YOU finish earlier, the customer WILL BE satisfied.
Tenerife a clear result. Both you and the customer have to agree on a clearly defined result. Don’t skip this step or you may regret it later. If you deliver a project that is not what the client wants, you will have to do extra work, which means you will miss the deadline. If you are unsure of what you want the result to be, ask the customer a few questions until it is clear.
Split the project. This, of course, is standard advice for any project, but that’s because it works. Don’t try to tackle an entire project. One step at a time. Again, you need to break it down into smaller steps and give a time estimate for each step. Each step should be small enough to take an hour or less so that it isn’t too intimidating.
Focus on the first step. Now that you’ve broken the project down into smaller steps, focus on the first one. Now don’t worry about the rest, give your full attention to the first step and get started. You will be satisfied when you fill it in and can cross it off your list. Then focus on the next step.
Block long enough. If you are working on a step, make sure it is locked into your daily schedule. If you don’t lock in time on your most important tasks, you probably won’t get the important things done. But, if you work the rest of the day on your freelance projects, set aside plenty of time for each step and treat it like a doctor’s appointment – you can’t miss that.
Set a start and end date for each step. When you break down a project, YOU provide a start and end date for each step, SO THAT YOU have a good idea of the project schedule and whether YOU are on schedule or behind. It also keeps YOU informed by knowing when to start and complete each step.
Communicate with every step. When you have completed a step, if possible, send the completed step to your customer. Sure, it doesn’t look like a finished project, but YOU can show that you’re making progress, YOU can keep track of things and get customer feedback. It is better to know that you are going in the wrong direction before the end of the project.
Don’t let yourself be overwhelmed. One of the main reasons for missing the deadline is because a freelancer agrees to do more than they can handle. Learn how to say no if you can’t finish a project on time.
Learn from mistakes. If you miss a deadline, take a few minutes to discuss what went wrong and how you can avoid it in the future.
Stay vigilant. If you’ve planned it wrongly or just postponed it and are facing a tight deadline, do your best to stick with it. That means staying up late and working as long as possible.
Negotiate and meet a second term. If you absolutely cannot meet the deadline (you’ve probably set too much), you need to contact your client and negotiate a second deadline. It is much better to do this than to miss the deadline without any communication. Whatever you do, make sure you meet this second deadline. Missing two deadlines in a row is bad news for a freelancer’s reputation.