101 Life
Management
Time Management & Goal
Setting
Setting DeadlinesSetting Deadlines for Your AssistantsEvery business deals with deadlines in some form. Some are self-imposed, and others are set to meet the needs of clients. Sometimes deadlines put us under pressure, but they also help keep us on track. As business owners, it's important to realize that we're not the only ones who should have deadlines. If we have employees or outsource to independent contractors, it's important to set deadlines for them as well. This includes our assistants. Why Should I Set Deadlines for Assistants? Administrative tasks are just as worthy of deadlines as work done for clients. Setting deadlines for assistants can help them prioritize tasks and work more efficiently. It lets them know what is expected of them and adds structure to their schedules. Deadlines are a good thing, but it's important to make them fair and reasonable. Here are some guidelines: * When setting deadlines, think back to times when you have performed the same or similar tasks to get an idea of how long it should take. This will give you a general idea of how long of a deadline to set, but it's important to consider other factors as well. * Deadlines that are too long will fail to motivate your assistants. Deadlines that are too short will frustrate instead of motivating. A happy medium is essential. * Ask for input on your deadline setting. Your assistants know better than anyone else how long it takes to complete a project. * For larger projects, it's often helpful to break them up into smaller tasks with individual deadlines. You could do this yourself, or you could set a deadline for the entire project and encourage your assistant to set her own deadlines for the tasks. * Most deadlines do not need to be set in stone. There will be times when a deadline cannot be met due to circumstances beyond your assistant's control. And there may be times when a deadline that should have been met is not. As long as it's not happening consistently, it's not the end of the world. * It's crucial to stress the importance of communication in the event that a deadline is not going to be met. If you know about the situation early, you may be able to help or make arrangements for someone else to. But if you don't know until the last minute, there's usually not enough time to make a save. Deadlines provide motivation and structure. They help us get things done in a timely and efficient manner, and they make it easier to set priorities. Setting deadlines for our assistants allows them to concentrate more on the tasks at hand and lets us carry on with our work without worrying about whether things will be done when we need them done. |
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