Here's how you can establish achievable deadlines and steer clear of overcommitting.

Learn to say NO without feeling the guilt... that would be one of the strategies to not overcommit. Another method would be outlining what your commitments are and having those prioritized, start with what you feel you have the capability to do, and with your team you can delegate the tasks, or you can divide that huge task in chunks and benefit from the different talent of the team members. Then, together you can come up with the plan or the solution to the issue at hand. Sometimes, the team will not be equipped to do the work, so you need to be very wise how to manage that - would it be teaming two people of the team members to do one task - and then evaluate if they need further training for the future tasks, and adjust as you go.

I always prefer to deliver on my promise. So, I ensure that I understand the full scope of the project or task before committing to a deadline. If necessary, I break the project down into smaller manageable tasks. This helps me prevent over promising and underperforming. By understanding the full scope of the task or project, I can give realistic deadlines and deliver on my promise. When determining deadlines, I like to factor in contingencies and in most cases, i am able to deliver the work ahead of schedule (the deadline), ultimately ensuring customer satisfaction through both timely delivery and quality work.

As an executive, I've learned the importance of setting realistic deadlines and avoiding overcommitment. First, it's essential to prioritize tasks based on their impact and urgency. Break down large projects into smaller, manageable parts and set clear milestones. Communicate these timelines transparently with your team to ensure everyone is aligned. Additionally, be realistic about your own and your team's capacity. Overcommitting can lead to burnout and reduced productivity. By setting achievable goals and maintaining open communication, you can manage expectations effectively and create a more balanced, productive work environment.

Assess tasks realistically and set achievable deadlines. Overpromising leads to underdelivering. Prioritize your commitments and manage expectations to maintain credibility. Focus and precision are the GOLD standards for success.

While the most senior leader generally has the global picture of the needs, the great people doing the work understand the work better than anyone. Trust your team…they can help set the timeline for the components. If they set the timeline they have greater “buy in”. The team will almost always provide results when they fear disappointing their leaders versus fearing their leaders. This is helping your team be accountable!!

Categorize tasks into four quadrants: 1.Urgent and Important 2.Important but Not Urgent 3.Urgent but Not Important 4.Neither Urgent nor Important Identify and focus on tasks that significantly impact your goals. Set 3-5 key tasks for each day and outline your weekly priorities. Focus on one task at a time to reduce errors and increase productivity. Regularly review and adjust your priorities as needed.

In my experience, incorporating time-tracking tools can significantly enhance deadline management by providing real-time progress updates and allowing for quick adjustments. Regular check-ins and progress reviews help identify potential bottlenecks early, enabling timely interventions. Additionally, building in buffer time for unexpected delays maintains flexibility without compromising deadlines. Encouraging open communication within the team ensures that challenges are promptly addressed. This proactive approach not only helps in staying on schedule but also fosters a collaborative environment, aligning everyone towards meeting the project's goals effectively.

Dê importância a cada tarefa e trabalho a ser desenvolvido em um planejamento. Lembre-se dos prazos e avalie o tempo por cada tarefa a ser desenvolvida.  Novamente, trabalhe com um escape para não correr riscos, se for possível e se puder, adote cores significativas para avaliar cada uma das fases. Vermelho para emergências, amarelo para atenção e verde para prazos maiores e tarefas simples.

When it comes to prioritizing, it's not as straighforward as it first seems, as your priority may not be the same as a key stakeholder. This is where confident negotiation and communication come in. If you're asked to add a new task by your line manager and you're already stacked, negotiate with them which other tasks will slip in favour of the new one. If your default is 'yes' to everything you're given without giving context and negotiating, you're giving out a loud message that your time isn't to be valued.

My philosophy is that success has many parents, failure is an orphan. I therefore prioritise on early results designed to build belief and ownership. These emotions bring empowerment and energy, with the ability to deliver exceptional results. To prioritise I revert to the important assessments, identify early results opportunities and use their delivery to create team unity, purpose and energy. This means also prioritising team communications to share those early wins and to create a real sense of achievement.

In my experience, adding time buffers to your deadlines is highly effective. Allocate extra time beyond your initial estimates for each task to accommodate unexpected issues. This proactive measure helps absorb unforeseen challenges, reducing team stress and maintaining work quality. Furthermore, conducting regular risk assessments identifies potential problems early, allowing for timely adjustments. This approach fosters a more focused and efficient work environment, ultimately leading to better project outcomes and higher team morale.

This is one of the most underrated, yet important tactics to focus on as you create ANY timeline, including in your own personal time management system. I'm a classic time under-estimator. Often, when I'm making plans and scheduling my week, something that I estimated that would only take an hour ends up taking 3. But instead of the whole week turning into hair-on-fire panic, my buffers save me. I sleep well at night because I planned for the UN-plannable.

Adding in time buffers is like acknowledging a margin of error. People typically scope out projects based on standards of best-case scenarios, to show efficiency, time sensitivity, and achievement. There's often even pressure to be faster in deliverables when working with internal stakeholders. Yet in the worst-case of scenarios having extra time worked in accounts for unexpected delays and allows you to deliver on time, and in the best-case of scenarios makes you look incredible for delivering early. This practice can give you peace of mind, breathing room, and reduced rush.

Add extra time to each task beyond your initial estimate. Regular breaks maintain productivity and prevent burnout. Try the Pomodoro Technique: 25 minutes of work, 5-minute break. Include time to transition between tasks to maintain focus. Keep buffer days in your schedule for larger projects to catch up if needed. Adapt to changes and stay on track with built-in buffers.

Como disse anteriormente, ao atribuir cada tarefa sempre amplie o prazo para que você consiga cumprir as tarefas antes mesmo do planejado. Encontros com a equipe podem dinamizar as fases do projeto.

Delegating has been an area in which I have had to make a conscious effort to improve, and this has helped me meet deadlines. An important factor in delegating would be to clearly define responsibilities, be flexible and ready to adjust assigned tasks when necessary, and recognize achievements to keep morale high.

In my view, effective delegation is not just about task distribution; it's about empowering individuals within the team. Assigning tasks based on strengths and capacity ensures optimal performance and prevents burnout. Moreover, clear communication fosters a shared understanding of goals and responsibilities, promoting accountability and alignment. This collaborative approach not only enhances productivity but also builds a sense of trust and unity within the team. Ultimately, effective delegation is a cornerstone of successful leadership, enabling teams to meet deadlines with confidence and cohesion.

Delegating can be incredibly developmental and motivational for your team members. Don't just give them the simpler stuff. If you've got a skilled, eager person in your team, really stretch them. Be clear about the brief and how to negotiate possible slippage well before the deadline. Then make sure you're a safe place to come to for guidance if it's needed. Before you know it, your superstars could be drafting board papers for you!

I rate delegation as one of the most underrated skills. Indeed, I never cease to be surprised by the number of senior people who equate delegation to being totally hands off. For me the key to delegation is ensuring that the delegatee has the capacity and capability to undertake the designated work, knows they have support available if they need it - the ability to talk something through can often present the solution, and has the desire to take the task on. Part of successful delegation is communicating with accuracy, brevity and clarity what is expected, check-in points and what good will look, and feel, like. Execute that well and you have delegated to someone who has ownership, purpose and clear goals.

Find tasks that don’t need your unique skills and delegate them. Match tasks to team members based on their skills and availability. Clearly outline tasks, deadlines, and requirements. Offer necessary support and training to help your team succeed. Trust your team to handle delegated tasks without micromanaging.

Break projects into key milestones to track progress. Leverage project management tools like Asana, Trello, or Monday.com or Click Up. Schedule daily or weekly check-ins to discuss progress and address issues. Use time tracking tools to compare actual time spent with estimates. Celebrate hitting key milestones to boost morale and motivation.

For me monitoring progress is as much an art as it is a skill. The art is in ensuring that it never feels like the headmaster marking homework and the skill lies in ensuring that progress is recognised, potential issues identified and live issues remedied. Breaking the work programme into bitesize segments allows progress to be celebrated, chokepoints to be resolved without derailing the broader progress and resources to be planned more accurately.

Acompanhe o processo em um todo, monitorá-lo com uma ferramenta eletrônica pode permitir o engajamento maior, quando sua equipe passa a ver que você esta acompanhando, e dando insights o ganho é generalizado.

Monitoring progress can be done in many forms, such as daily or weekly standup meetings and project management software to track milestones and delays. I have found that the most efficient monitoring comes from checking in with individuals on a 1:1 basis. Often, people may be afraid to ask questions or voice concerns in group settings, but one-on-one check-ins provide a safe space for them to discuss challenges and seek guidance, leading to more accurate tracking and timely resolution of issues.

This is where a good piece of planning software is your friend. I use Mondays where possible and that allows the team an overview of all progress on tasks. Also encourage your team members to comment on key documents along the way and request for turn around for comments and subsequent edits in a reasonable time frame. Ensure regular catch up meetings with recurring agenda points and metric sharing where possible. Always follow up meetings with a wrap up email with any relevant tasks and timelines.

Yo me enfoco mucho en impulsar una mentalidad de análisis con mi equipo, si las personas entienden el ¿para qué? y son personas que siempre buscan mejorar, los retrasos o errores simplemente se vuelven un aprendizaje más que les ayuda a trabajar mejor.

¡No te comprometas en exceso! Sí, es más fácil decirlo que hacerlo. ¿Quieres saber cómo? ¡Sigue leyendo! El error más común que observo es lo que llamo: "La Programación Perfecta". Es decir, llenar cada espacio de tu agenda. Secretamente esperas que todo funcione sin contratiempos. Lastimosamente, ¡pocas veces sucede así! El primer consejo: sé realista. Agenda una hora diaria para imprevistos. Lo que no puedes prever siempre ocurre. Ser realista en tu planificación es crucial. Luego, evalúa tu agenda con cuidado. A veces necesitarás: - Delegar tareas. - Extender plazos. - Reajustar tu calendario. - Negociar compromisos. La clave está en tomar decisiones bien informadas. Y ser realista respecto a tus capacidades.

Transparent communication with stakeholders is critical. Share not just the reasons for the delay but also the steps being taken to prevent recurrence. This builds trust and demonstrates a proactive approach. Additionally, consider agile methodologies that allow for incremental progress and regular reassessments. This flexible approach can make it easier to adapt to changes without significant disruptions. Conducting a post-mortem analysis after the project’s completion can also be valuable. This involves reviewing what went wrong, what was done to correct it, and how similar issues can be avoided in the future.

Effective communication is paramount when assessing realistic deadlines and pivoting as necessary, especially in the dynamic field of strategic communications. In general, professionals must ensure that all stakeholders are promptly informed about any changes to timelines. Clear and transparent communication helps manage expectations and maintain trust. When deadlines shift, providing concise updates and outlining the reasons for these changes can mitigate potential disruptions and ensure a seamless adjustment process. This approach not only fosters a collaborative work environment but also enhances overall project success.

By regularly reviewing your time management strategy, you can pinpoint specific challenges and inefficiencies that may be hindering your progress. This could include tasks that are taking up too much time, distractions that are disrupting your focus, or goals that are no longer aligned with your priorities ✅

The ability to say no with civility and respect is grossly underrated - especially if an assigned goal looks unrealistic to achieve. You are the domain expert and should be able to redraw expectations within the overall goals of the firm. There will eventually be an appreciation from the goal-setter of the ability to deliver with quality. However - ensure that all this is done very early in the process to ensure all parties are aligned.

One of the most practical ways to achieve deadlines and not over commit is to analyse the scope of work and set the pessimistic , optimistic and realistic time lines . The pessimistic and optimistic time lines may not be considered as they too unrealistic . PERT can help to calculate the realistic duration .Another important aspect to avoid overcommitment is to under promise and over deliver ..The realistic duration should be extended and the extended timeline should be negotiated with the client and agreed upon ..The extended timeline is the under promise with the client and when the delivery is done much before the extended timeline it becomes a clear case of over delivery and win-win situation for both parties involved in the deal .

Check in with yourself before you commit to anything. Not check your calendar; not check the date, but check in with yourself and how you actually feel about what's being asked of you. This one step is often overlooked in professional circles where sometimes we feel obligated to overdo and overperform for the sake of our livelihood. But taking that one moment to decide if their request makes you nervous, anxious, uneasy or peaceful, can mean the difference between a true yes or no. In doing this, you continue to demonstrate self-care as the result of your decisions, and not as the "output" of an event.

One crucial strategy is mastering the art of asking for help, particularly by adding support staff as projects grow. This approach ensures that deadlines remain realistic and manageable without compromising the quality of the work. As projects expand, the complexity and workload naturally increase. Attempting to handle everything alone or with a limited team often leads to overcommitment, missed deadlines, and burnout. Instead, recognizing when to seek additional resources or personnel can make a significant difference. By bringing in support staff, you distribute the workload more evenly, allowing each team member to focus on their core responsibilities without being overwhelmed.