Change the Deadline to Quickly Change the Process
We have so many ideas on how to improve your productivity process that they are a thing of the past . If you want a quick way to quickly start making changes to your process, try moving the deadline.
Changing the deadline automatically changes one of the simplest things in your process: where it ends. All of a sudden, the goal post is not in the same place, so you can fill the time in different ways. Pushing the deadline forward can improve your effectiveness, but it can also work in the opposite direction. As the Title Fight group explains, timeline extensions can be just as helpful:
So we could either really kick our asses and do it right now, or wait a very long time and play this game. We were so excited about working on “Shed” and touring that we decided to take advantage of it. It worked because it put interesting pressure on us. We agreed this time that we didn’t want any pressure, so we were definitely in no rush. It allowed us to experiment more and try more ideas, and really sit and think about the songs, about where we’re going and all of that. We didn’t have this capability with recording before, so it was useful. It was definitely a deliberate decision, though.
Changing the deadline is like a cheat code to stretch (or shrink) your entire production process. So see what changes you want to make and adapt the end from there. If you want to be more efficient, shorten your deadline. If you want to be less tired or get a better product, give it a little more time.
Title fight: “We always go our own way” | DIY magazine for 99u