How to Set Realistic and Measurable Deadlines

A deadline is an essential component of goal-setting, since it establishes the “when” a goal will be completed. There’s also the “Time-Bound” element of SMART Goals, another great goal-setting methodology for students to learn and use.

Why Are Deadlines Important?

If you want to achieve goals, writing them down is only the first step.

The next step is to identify specific tasks that will help you achieve this goal and set deadlines to meet those tasks. This is exactly why to-do lists are so effective—because they make large projects or goals more manageable by breaking out specific tasks and steps that need to be completed. Breaking up projects into a series of smaller tasks and learning how to add in deadlines makes these projects easier to complete and prevents you from waiting until the last minute to finish your work.

This type of planning can help students finish school projects, follow New Year’s resolutions, or achieve goals, whether short-term or long-term. Goal setting also helps to build intrinsic motivation.

When students learn to work with deadlines, they can become highly effective at not just setting goals, but also completing those goals. Deadlines are important because they are key to completion. As the famous saying goes, goals without deadlines are just dreams.

Even though getting the due date for an upcoming homework assignment may elicit a groan or two, it’s important to realize that due dates are important for school in the same way they are important for setting goals. Teachers and learning partners want students to reach specific learning goals, so due dates for assignments serve as deadlines to make sure students are consistently progressing towards these goals on schedule.

Is setting deadlines important only for me?

Deadlines help us organize the schedule and work for both short and long-term projects.

Once we know what’s the completion date of a project or a specific task, we can establish the right resources needed to complete a task on time.

A new due date indicates how long it can take for an individual to clear the deadline. However, it also helps achieve team goals – no matter if a small or larger project, they’re a set of multiple milestones that can only be achieved when each member does their best.

Besides, tracking deadlines is a solid base to discuss progress and the team’s performance.

Creating a project deadline list that’ll be transparent for the entire team (e.g. in a project management software with all tasks assigned to the people responsible) can work wonders for teams that struggle with delivering their work within due dates.

It can be easy to put a deadline in your planner and smother the date with a bright highlighter. But what happens after you close your planner? If your project’s deadline isn’t until early next month, you could receive quite an unpleasant surprise if you never look at the planner again. What if you flip your calendar to the next date range and only now realize that your assignment is due in a few days?

Set reminders for your deadlines to help prevent that feeling of panic. Make a calendar event or set an alarm on your phone to ring a few days or even a week before your assignment is due. Write a note on your whiteboard or ask a colleague to periodically check in with you about your progress. Taking each of these steps can give you a greater sense of urgency to complete your project and keep your tasks at the forefront of your mind.

With all your many responsibilities, you’re probably busy all the time. And you probably have tons of thoughts running through your head over the course of a day. If you struggle to keep up with your million and one tasks, let a piece of paper carry some of the weight. Studies show that you’re more likely to achieve your goals after writing them down.

This tendency stems from a brain process known as encoding. As your brain processes information, it determines what to include and exclude from its long-term memory. Writing your deadlines on paper increases the chance of your brain storing that information. This step can help you turn an intangible date into a reminder for action.

The importance of writing down deadlines cannot be overstated.

To begin with, it helps you maintain organization and focus. The likelihood of you completing a task increases when you have a deadline.

The second benefit of writing down deadlines is that it can assist you in prioritizing your tasks. It is easier to prioritize the most important tasks if you know when they are due.

Thirdly, writing deadlines down can reduce stress. A clear understanding of what needs to be done and when makes your work less overwhelming and stressful.

I suggest using a calendar or planner to record deadlines. Aside from keeping track of all your deadlines, these tools can also help you set up reminders so you don’t forget anything.

Setting realistic deadlines can help you stay on track and achieve your goals.

By setting specific deadlines for tasks, you'll be more likely to complete them on time and feel more accomplished. In addition to staying more organized and motivated in your work, deadlines also help you avoid procrastination.

Take the example of writing an article; it can be helpful to set a deadline for a given number of words. Another example, say you're organizing your closet, set a deadline for sorting your clothes into various categories. This helps with tracking the progress made and when the task is complete. By setting deadlines, you'll be more likely to achieve your goals and stay on track.