We have all experienced that feeling of dread when you get to Sunday afternoon and have not finished that piece of homework for Monday morning. It doesn’t seemed to have changed when in the world of work, and that presentation needs to be complete or the pitch is due – we are there until the 11th hour finishing it up. Avoiding this feeling would be ideal, so here at Scout we took a look at the consequences of this and if there is anything we can do about it?
Mistaks, Mis-Takes, Mistakes
When you are working close to deadlines there isn’t any room for error and there won’t be any flexibility to spend more time on things that probably need more attention on. Fixing mistakes often takes longer that taking extra time to get it right in the first place! When handing a piece of work in to your boss/colleague and the results are poor, this can produce added stress for all parties and loss of trust.
If you know that you do tend to make mistakes when rushing, try to ensure you run your work past someone else before it is handed in – a second pair of eyes over something even for a few minutes can make the difference between happy boss/Client/colleague and a negative impression of you.
STRESS!
Some people perform best under stress, and but for the majority of us it brings a negative vibe to the work place and doesn’t do your health any good! If you can notice that the amount of stress at work is increasing, take a step back for a second and think methodically about how you can go about tasks. Love a ‘to do’ list! – this focuses the mind and breaks down the pile of tasks you have down, to become more manageable, therefore saving time in the long run.
Poor Standards
When working down to the wire, your main objective is to just get the job done.
Once it’s done its done right? Not necessarily, just by getting it ‘done’ doesn’t mean you have done it well. Give it the once over, proofread your work and make sure it’s of a good standard. Lowering the bar at work can have some knock on effects too – your mood can become deflated and you start questioning your abilities. Note to self: Give myself enough time to produce work that I’ll be proud of and give me that extra lift!
Time Management
Getting things done in advance is great! It lets us believe that we have time to play with. This ‘extra’ time can be used to relax and unwind or enjoy a social event with friends. Keeping ahead of the game is crucial if you want to keep this lifestyle up. . Letting work load get on top of you with deadlines coming thick and fast means you wont have flexibility to just go with the flow. You’ll have to MAKE TIME to get the work done and no one wants to be sat a desk at 7pm Friday whilst your mates are at happy hour!
George x
