Time Management Tip - Counting Backwards

When someone else sets a deadline for you, counting backwards is critical to completing the work on time. Literally get out a calendar and start with the end product. Reserve one or two days at the end as a contingency (or for really big projects a week or more). Then reserve a good portion of time for feedback from colleagues or your boss. (Remember, they are busy and won't respond immediately.) Then, still working backwards, reserve time to draft the report or other type of finished product. Reserve an extensive amount of time for research or other substantive work. Reserve time for planning the project or work schedule. Now you are in the present. If all the reserves you have created exceed the time available, negotiate the deadline or reconsider the time needed for each step. Do not yield to the temptation to eliminate the planning and contingency phases, because they will make sure you are doing the right thing in the time required.