Cranking the deadline

As consultants, we live and breathe deadlines, like it or not.
They come in all sizes - from having to send an email at a certain time, to finishing the big deck of slides for the project’s final presentation. They overlap. They shift. Some are rigid, some can be bent - but you better not break them.

Here are some tips on how to tame this wild animal - your next deadline. Because not making the deadline is just not on the list of cool things to do.

Concentration
Being able to concentrate under deadline stress is crucial to keep you productive.

• Set the email-check to manual. The ping/notification every time a new mail comes in (that you cannot attend to now anyways) will distract you, and you would need precious time to get back to concentration and pick up your train of thought. Blackberry users, set your profile so that you do not get a ring/buzz on incoming email.
  If you are expecting important mail, ask the sender to give you a quick call once the message is sent, so you can check you inbox then.
• Disable all IM clients. Doesn’t matter if it is private or corporate, IM has to go off. You have no time to chat.
• CLOSE, not minimize, all applications that you do not need. If you are working in Powerpoint and Excel, close the browser. Close Outlook. What you don’t see doesn’t distract you.
• When working in an office with many people, check if there maybe is a quiet office/conference room available where you can hack away without being distracted by other people’s phone calls, conversations, etc.
• Get everything off your desk that does not relate to your current work.

Staying creative
It is good to be concentrated. That is enough for tasks where you are just hacking away and can put your mind on “execute”. But what if you need to actually be creative, as in thinking of possible concepts for a strategic option?

• Have pen and paper available. For developing ideas, the link between your hand, eye and mind is more direct than when you are sketching things in PPT. When available, use your company’s yellow pads (those that are giving you the PPT-slide-frame, so that you can fill in action title, etc.
• Use a brown paper for your storyline. When creating a story, it is important to see it in its entirety. Again, this is better done on paper than on screen. Print out your slides (they must not all be ready to do this, you can start with only titles on the slides), put them on a board/brown paper/wall.
• Talk to someone who is not involved. Of course, you are short on time, so this is not the place for a tea party. Nevertheless, if you are braining away on an issue and do not come to a conclusion, present it to someone who is not involved. Often, the act of expressing exactly what your issue is, helps you to process and solve it.

Staying awake
Unfortunately, deadlines often result in late nights or all-nighters. So you need to stay awake beyond your normal comfort zone.

• Get yourself a decent supply of caffeine. For me, a good mix of coffee and coke works well (not cocaine, buddy. We are not bankers ). Energy drinks tend to create too much of a sugar/caffeine high that fades quickly and leaves you more tired than you were before.
• Switch all available lights on. Trick your body into believing it is day.
• Make it cold. Not freezing cold, but the warmer the room is, the easier you get tired.
• Sit at a desk. When working away in the hotel, chances are the bed looks really nice to sit on and do some work… and then you wake up in the morning with the imprint of the keyboard on your forehead. Sit on a chair at a desk.
• Listen to energizing music. Chances are that your customer is already at home with wife and kids when you get cranking - so it might be possible to get the earplugs out and put some good vibes on. Avoid singer/songwriter type of music - the type where you actually listen to the lyrics -, you don’t want to distract yourself too much, just crank up the mood.
• Take power naps. In your chair. Set the alarm to LOUD, set it to 15 minutes. Not more. When the 15 minutes is up, stand up, stretch, move around, get back to work. DO NOT EXTEND THE 15 MINUTES, that most of the time means you are losing the war against sleep. For power napping, I love pzizz. For the extra kick, you might want to try the caffeine nap.

What are your favourite techniques for cranking the deadline? Share in the comments!