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#ProdChat – 07/19/2017 – Working With Deadlines
On July 19, 2017, #ProdChat discussed the topic, Working With Deadlines. The discussion was hosted by our regular third Wednesday host, productivity coach Natalie M. Houston. Watch the slideshow to see what the productivity enthusiasts on #ProdChat had to say about “Working With Deadlines.” Enjoy!
Questions:
1. How much of your work is deadline-driven? #prodchat
2. Some people thrive on the adrenaline of working up to the deadline. Some people prefer to get things done early. What about you? #prodchat
3. What are your favorite project planning methods for managing deadlines? #prodchat
4. What would you like to improve in how you work with deadlines? #prodchat
5. If you have an important deadline coming up within a week, how do you make sure you meet it? #prodchat
6. How do you plan for project deadlines three or more months away? #prodchat
7. What are your best strategies for working with other people to meet a project deadline? #prodchat
8. What are you favorite tools or apps for making sure you track and meet deadlines? #prodchat
9. What tips from tonight’s chat would you like to implement in the near future? #prodchat
Raw transcript:
| User | Tweet | Time (GMT +0) |
| nmhouston | Welcome to #ProdChat, the weekly chat for productivity enthusiasts! https://t.co/5Vks07ONnO https://t.co/AhDjc1tcNe | Thu Jul 20 00:00:26 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | Today on #ProdChat we’re discussing “Working With Deadlines”! Join us! https://t.co/0akIxm8Ku9 | Thu Jul 20 00:00:52 +0000 2017 |
| BLGBusiness | @rsidneysmith @drjlwells @nmhouston Multi tasking so might not be able to participate but will keep an eye on the feed! #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:00:57 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | Good topic. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:01:20 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | @BLGBusiness @rsidneysmith @drjlwells hi Brandi, glad you can peek in at least! 😉 #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:01:56 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | @DrFrankBuck hi Frank, how are you tonight? #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:02:14 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | @nmhouston Doing well, Natalie. And yourself? #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:02:51 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | @DrFrankBuck Doing pretty well, thanks! #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:03:15 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | So, let’s start! Please introduce yourself. Tell us a bit about you and your interest in #productivity! #prodchat https://t.co/ujwu6yeL6n | Thu Jul 20 00:03:20 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | Frank Buck from Alabama. I write and speak on organization and time management. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:03:54 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | I’m Natalie, an English professor & productivity coach. I help people move forward on the projects that matter most to them #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:03:57 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | What’s a #productivity success you’ve had this week or last? #prodchat https://t.co/kgPnrEw6Wn | Thu Jul 20 00:05:45 +0000 2017 |
| PG_pmp | @nmhouston Piyush from India…Happy Thursday morning…#productivity! #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:07:16 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | As tonight’s host, I’ll post questions as Q1, Q2. Answer with A1, A2 for readability, and don’t forget to add… https://t.co/SaWNsqLQgY | Thu Jul 20 00:07:31 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | @PG_pmp Welcome, Piyush, glad you could make it to #prodchat! | Thu Jul 20 00:08:42 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A #productivity success that I helped with was getting someone’s email inbox from 52,000+ to 2. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:08:59 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | Q1. How much of your work is deadline-driven? #prodchat https://t.co/qB1RgzuuWf | Thu Jul 20 00:09:06 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | @DrFrankBuck that is impressive!! they must have felt so relieved #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:10:44 +0000 2017 |
| CurationSuite | RT @DrFrankBuck: A #productivity success that I helped with was getting someone’s email inbox from 52,000+ to 2. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:10:45 +0000 2017 |
| CurationSuite | RT @PG_pmp: @nmhouston Piyush from India…Happy Thursday morning…#productivity! #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:10:46 +0000 2017 |
| CurationSuite | RT @nmhouston: What’s a #productivity success you’ve had this week or last? #prodchat https://t.co/kgPnrEw6Wn | Thu Jul 20 00:10:47 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A1 For me, deadlines are not a large issue. I generally know about deadlines far in advance. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:10:49 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A1 About 75-80% of my work involves external deadlines. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:13:17 +0000 2017 |
| PG_pmp | @nmhouston A1: it shld be milestone driven not deadline…as there is always a life even after completion..#prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:13:19 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | Q2 Some people thrive on the adrenaline of working up to the deadline.Some prefer to get things done early. What ab… https://t.co/sa1glqXQd5 | Thu Jul 20 00:13:41 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A2 I confess to something of a deadline-adrenaline habit. I’ve been working to change that over the years, though! #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:16:13 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A2 For some people, your relationship to deadlines might be different depending on the type of project or deliverable #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:17:35 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A2 For some people, your relationship to deadlines might be different depending on the type of project or deliverable #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:17:35 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | Q3. What are your favorite project planning methods for managing deadlines? #prodchat https://t.co/YoUYsYJD7I | Thu Jul 20 00:18:53 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A2 For some reason, Q2 didn’t come through. I will take a stab at what I think it is. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:19:18 +0000 2017 |
| PG_pmp | @nmhouston A2: believe in proactive approach…to complete task before time…however sometime it happens till last moment..#prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:19:33 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | @DrFrankBuck hmm, that’s weird. Q2 — do you thrive on adrenaline of working up to the deadline, or do you prefer… https://t.co/s2PuknNmJH | Thu Jul 20 00:20:43 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A2 Like Jim, I like to jump on things early… but when others are involved, changes to a project result in having to redo if… #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:20:44 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A2… if started early. Finding the balance between too early and last minute is the art. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:21:46 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A3 I tend to use reverse calendar methods — start with the end date, and work your way backwards. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:23:19 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A3 On my task list,, I include DEADLINE and a date as part of the task name… #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:23:34 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A3 For some projects visual approaches work well for me — Gantt charts, flowcharts, etc #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:24:32 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A3: As part of my weekly planning, I search the list for DEADLINE and see at a glance every deadline in chronological order. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:24:54 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | @DrFrankBuck for every task associated with the project? #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:24:59 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | Q4. What would you like to improve in how you work with deadlines? #prodchat https://t.co/eVFwamYIps | Thu Jul 20 00:25:05 +0000 2017 |
| PG_pmp | @nmhouston A3: always maintain the proactive communication with stakeholders to keep all plans in good shape #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:25:48 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | @nmhouston Generally, they are related to projects. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:25:49 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A4 I’ve learned the hard way to negotiate deadlines that will work with existing commitments. Easy to get overloaded! #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:26:58 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A4: Handling deadlines is one area where I feel petty good about how things are going. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:27:15 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | Q5. If you have an important deadline coming up within a week, how do you make sure you meet it? #prodchat https://t.co/ZCCtZhyQYz | Thu Jul 20 00:28:57 +0000 2017 |
| prodbookgrp | Join us for our next #Productivity Book Group live discussion! https://t.co/n14akGjZH4 #prodchat https://t.co/sswicweHHi | Thu Jul 20 00:30:01 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A5 A short term deadline brings a lot of clarity and focus — you have to triage your tasks, ensure you’re working on what matters #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:30:42 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A5: I have next steps well – defined so there will is no confusion about what to do to meet the deadline. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:31:31 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A5 As the deadline gets closer, I get more detailed in my planning to make sure I don’t leave out any steps #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:32:30 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A5 Unfortunately, in a lot of work environments, working late / weekends becomes the default way to meet deadlines #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:34:18 +0000 2017 |
| PG_pmp | @nmhouston A5: check status first & reprioritise the tasks if required based on their impact on overall plan #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:34:39 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A5 Few people can afford to lose more sleep! So project planning becomes a matter of health as well #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:34:59 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | Q6. How do you plan for project deadlines three or more months away? #prodchat https://t.co/he2x4YdLZt | Thu Jul 20 00:35:04 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A6 Some research suggests that most of us don’t have clear concept of time several months in the future. Makes it harder to plan #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:37:12 +0000 2017 |
| PG_pmp | @nmhouston A6: it all depends how one plan & define priority based on tasks & plan #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:37:34 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A6: In the very early stages of planning a project, I pinpoint when I want to start and associate that date with the project. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:37:48 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A6: Projects that start on time have a better chance of finishing on time. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:38:36 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | @JKatzaman hi Jim! this is strange, I see from your timeline you’ve been on the chat, but your tweets aren’t showin… https://t.co/atmEoUQZ3E | Thu Jul 20 00:39:42 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A6: I also identify known next steps and associated info which makes getting started easier. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:39:58 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | @JKatzaman I didn’t mean to be ignoring you! #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:40:07 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | Q7. What are your best strategies for working with other people to meet a project deadline? #prodchat https://t.co/yzxCne09jS | Thu Jul 20 00:41:49 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A7 Different deadline styles are often a source of friction for teams. How do you get people to share what their tendencies are? #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:44:43 +0000 2017 |
| PG_pmp | @nmhouston A7: communication with stakeholders & information sharing at the right time resolves >90% of project problems #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:44:46 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A7: Be sure everyone is clear on their roles and their individual deadlines. It’s good that you are build on cushion so if… #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:45:25 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | @JKatzaman you do participate in a lot of chats! #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:45:42 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A7:…someone falls behind, there’s still time to recover. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:46:09 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | @DrFrankBuck yes, building in some margin is always a good idea! #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:47:03 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | Q8. What are you favorite tools or apps for making sure you track and meet deadlines? #prodchat https://t.co/mu96FOxEav | Thu Jul 20 00:47:29 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A8: Toodledo. That’s my task app and holds everything that needs action now. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:48:40 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A8:… or should I say now or in the future. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:49:20 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A8 I like @teamgantt for creating easy, visually appealing Gantt charts for complex projects #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:49:36 +0000 2017 |
| PG_pmp | @nmhouston A8: Microsoft Project, excel sheets, email, chats & phone to maintain proactive communication with stakeholders ? #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:50:16 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A8 I also use color-coded G-calendars for ongoing milestones like each week of my course syllabi #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:51:26 +0000 2017 |
| chrisellaloans | A8. I really like @trello I use it for projects and my to accomplish lists! #prodchat https://t.co/4OOtfPKnjt | Thu Jul 20 00:51:35 +0000 2017 |
| chrisellaloans | A7. Make sure everyone is on the same page and there are clear objectives and deadlines. In short, #communication… https://t.co/KCCyJZJLlt | Thu Jul 20 00:52:15 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A8 @idonethis can be used to track at the end of each day what you or yr team accomplished. Great way to adjust where needed. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:53:18 +0000 2017 |
| chrisellaloans | A6 Mini deadlines all along the way #ProdChat https://t.co/RAo3dUEMGt | Thu Jul 20 00:53:56 +0000 2017 |
| chrisellaloans | I am always looking to get more sleep 😉 #ProdChat https://t.co/d6Y4pBMAxN | Thu Jul 20 00:54:18 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | @chrisellaloans @trello hi Christy, nice to see you this evening! #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:54:50 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | Q9. What tips from tonight’s chat would you like to implement in the near future? #prodchat https://t.co/u1bNPPIxWG | Thu Jul 20 00:55:20 +0000 2017 |
| chrisellaloans | A2 depends on project, I never want to delay others, but working too far in advance means you’re usually doing thin… https://t.co/p5OsfXNvd9 | Thu Jul 20 00:55:43 +0000 2017 |
| chrisellaloans | @nmhouston @trello Nice to see you as well #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:56:24 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | A9 for me the common thread in everyone’s replies tonight was the importance of planning. Planning time is always worth it! #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:56:46 +0000 2017 |
| chrisellaloans | A9 there are a few new tools I would like to try out #prodchat https://t.co/l9ru46MbxE | Thu Jul 20 00:56:48 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | Join us next week for the rescheduled session on “Microsoft Productivity”! #prodchat https://t.co/ccwn19bDfT | Thu Jul 20 00:57:59 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | A9: Yes, planning is everything! #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:58:22 +0000 2017 |
| chrisellaloans | @nmhouston Agreed #ProdChat | Thu Jul 20 00:58:35 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | Thanks everyone for a great #prodchat tonight! Look out for the Storify from tonight’s chat from @rsidneysmith! | Thu Jul 20 00:58:36 +0000 2017 |
| PG_pmp | @nmhouston A9: I believe in proactive communication to reach any milestone, there is always life after finish line? #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:58:42 +0000 2017 |
| DrFrankBuck | Wonder if we could talk Bill Gates into joining us? #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:59:10 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | @chrisellaloans So true. Especially if some ideas may change as the project develops. #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 00:59:44 +0000 2017 |
| chrisellaloans | @nmhouston @rsidneysmith Great to see you all. Looking forward to joining another #prodchat soon | Thu Jul 20 01:00:09 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | @PG_pmp Yes, good communication is so important! #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 01:00:31 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | @DrFrankBuck good luck with that! 😉 #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 01:02:08 +0000 2017 |
| nmhouston | @chrisellaloans @rsidneysmith thanks for stopping by! see you again soon — #prodchat | Thu Jul 20 01:02:43 +0000 2017 |