How do you stay motivated when facing deadlines?

Go back to your core values. Use these as a compass to guide your next decision. These reinforce your sense of why you exist in the first place. Take time to prayerfully determine what may be safely put away for another day, delegated to someone who may actually do a better job than yourself, and prioritize work that results in the betterment of the lives of others and the world around you even if you cannot at first readily see the ROI for yourself. Don't forget to keep others, even those who may be least impacted by your decision updated and informed; they're part of your social ecosystem, including your family; remember, they're on your team. Last but not the least, reframe the context, think of it as hard work for another's benefit.

In my 20 years of program management and operations delivery experiences, I learnt that setting smart goals as a theory sounds great. However, setting smart goals with the breakdown that helps you see progress that can certainly add to your motivation, comes with alignment challenge sometimes. Alignment with the wider organizational goals. I think as leader you can set smart goals easily, understanding your strengths and organizational expectations, the question is if your goals are helping the organization to secure impacting results? That is where we get stuck, I think we could start the other way around. Lets understand the big picture priorities and based on that set milestones and bring the whole team to follow a smart goal setting.

Keeping the bigger picture in mind and remembering the impact of your work on others can be powerful motivators to push through deadlines. It's all about staying connected to the purpose behind what you're doing.

I love deadlines. The positive energy flowing through my veins provides the necessary focus and inspiration to complete the job at hand. I have 15 attitudinal muscles of your heart & soul you must exercise daily. These strong attitudinal muscles carry you through the anxious times, such as deadlines. A few of those muscles include: muscle of faith, muscle of optimism, and the muscle of persistance. Stay the course to complete the task. Take care of yourself in preparation to complete the responsibility. Sleep. Eat. Breath. Walk. Mediate. Visualize. Think about how you will celebrate the completion. Good luck!

- Monthly smart plan: this helps me anticipate the deadline ahead of time and prepare for that pace. - Prioritize activities. - celebrate after meeting the deadline. - Delegate tasks

Rather than taking on tasks in its entirety, I always break them up in a manageable way. After organizing my tasks by type and due date(s) I created an anticipated timeline. It is so important for me to meet deadlines so often I will give myself a little grace period so that I will always meet my goal of completing my assignments. Sometimes I find it beneficial to knock out the easier tasks first then complete the more complex ones, while other times it is important to work a little bit every day at the complex tasks to ensure that you meet its deadline. It is about prioritizing. If you need help prioritizing tasks and assignments at your organization, feel free to use us as a resource.

Each day I visualize what I want to accomplish in the day and what steps I’m going to take to optimize my time to meet deadlines. Starting with the most urgent or simple tasks is a good starting point. I’m easily doing 5 tasks at one time but that is not always most productive. There are times where I clear distractions and focus. A simple hack that can be helpful to me is to start the specific task by eating dark chocolate almonds. It’s a great energy boost and acts as a sort of restart to shift my focus. It’s a form of discipline to stay at the task in order to meet a deadline. The reward for having the determination and skills to do it are rewarding. Each time, you’ll learn your own methods and get even better at it to achieve results.

I use todoist.com (an online free to do list) to add my tasks, which I break down by date deadline. Once you've completed each task, you can tick them off, which is very rewarding. Plus the list will get shorter as you work through the tasks, which is also very motivating.

In my experience when I feel overwhelmed with too much on my plate, I must stop! Literally sit back & take a deep breath. I do this to be present with myself & mindful of my thoughts, feelings and surroundings. Once I feel I’m grounded, I review and reprioritize. If possible, I may delegate smaller items or set things up for working a different day or time, so I can focus on the items needing immediate attention. If it’s not possible to delegate, I break items down into smaller tasks. Taking the time to do this, often is calming in and of itself. It helps me to plan & understand how long each item might take, what needs more attention & what I can knock out quickly. The most important step for me is, stepping back and grounding. Try it!

Break down your tasks and start small. Prioritize the things to do and get started immediately. If you want people to review something, send them the stuff in small quantities and sequence. Do not try and assume you'll get it done. Delegate and simply target to finish early

Stay motivated by the outcome, and ensure that all processes match the stated intention, if the processes aren’t connected directly to a well articulated and understood intention, if theres no link between intention and process then its likely that the process wastes time or can be stopped entirely.

At some point motivation will leave you. I try to stay as disciplined as possible when facing tight deadlines. #Staythecourse??????

One thing I found helpful is ensuring you start your day off on a positive note before diving into a more complex project or task. I’m a true believer in momentum and building off of wins, small and big. At some point, habits are more powerful than sheer willpower. ??

In my opinion, it’s in human nature to react to nearing deadlines by a feeling of overwhelm. - To tackle this, my go-to mantra is the old-school routine of organising and having a checklist that I need to complete the task at hand. - I start by organising my thoughts, and jot it down step wise —> this helps me do things in an order to achieve the outcome desired. - This organisation also keeps my mind clutter free and anxiety at bay. - Be flexible in terms of the timelines set. - Take short breaks in between to recharge yourselves. - This cannot be said enough: seek support - from family, friends & colleagues. - Focussed approach with organisation can make completing a task easier.

I like to encourage myself to finish difficult tasks by reminding myself of the relief from finishing the task and the freedom on the other side!

Feedback is always helpful for me, as I am quite a collaborative person. It helps me to discuss my ideas as part of my process. And feedback from trusted colleagues can be invaluable in clarifying ideas, and stengthening the overall project.

Feedback is a valuable tool for personal and professional development. Constructive feedback from colleagues, supervisors, and even donors can provide insights into areas where improvement is needed and highlight your strengths. Embracing feedback as a learning opportunity fosters a continuous improvement mindset and allows you to refine your skills and strategies. It's essential to actively seek feedback, acknowledge it, and use it to enhance your performance and effectiveness in fundraising or any other role.

Getting feedback is important, especially if the person has done the task or has faced the same challenges you are facing. They can provide you with templates or show previous examples to guide you in what to expect in accomplishing the task. There is a sense of moral support and talking it out can spark something you haven't realized to help you. You can also incorporate professional development in the feedback. By asking how they developed certain skill sets and what recommendations they can give you to strengthen your own. Being coachable is a good sign of leadership for managerial roles.

Feedback is a loop. I believe that you should establish open lines of communication and feedback between your stakeholders and lead by example so that you can also elicit meaningful feedback in your work. I usually like to provide some initial feedback to my project stakeholders or lead to the tune of what I envision I'd like from their participation (e.g., I'd really like you to take the lead on communicating with X stakeholder given your relationship or I'd like your input and review on this draft we are working on to ensure it aligns with business values).

Philanthropic work is aimed at satisfying personal conscious mindset. Habitually some people like to do charity work which is not only rewarding it brings happiness to the doer.

Focus on the journey. What is important is that every day you need to be grateful that you have the opportunity to contribute. That in it of itself is a blessing. Don't undervalue the importance of being able to do what you do. Don't make it about yourself but rather about making a difference to people's lives. Everything you do is an act of creation motivated largely by a willingness to add value to the collective human experience. You are your thoughts... and the result of all past decisions . Ultimately we have a key decision to make... do you want to live a virtuous life or not? Your choice !

If sports inclined, treat the deadline as the finish line. Figure out the pace of work to get it done in time and then sprint to the finish line/deadline!

When working against a deadline, make the experience more positive by listening to music designed for focus and concentration. Have your favorite beverage handy and surround your working space with positive messages of affirmation. These strategies will help you stay on task and motivated to complete your work on time.

To stay positive while meeting goals with deadlines, break goals into manageable tasks with individual deadlines. Prioritize effectively, using tools to plan your schedule. Keep your workspace organized and take regular breaks to prevent burnout. Seek support and delegate when needed. Celebrate milestones to maintain motivation. Balance work with activities that promote well-being, like exercise and hobbies. Be flexible with your expectations and use positive affirmations to stay motivated. Regularly reflect on your progress and adjust strategies as necessary to stay on track.

High light priority steps delegate where appropriate then include team for functional wall through Once consensus and satisfaction complete project for presentation. Never had any disappointment team all felt inclusive.

The best part of a deadline is when you reach it, it’s done. I work my way backwards from the deadlines, setting interim deadlines to meet that will bring us to the submission date, complete, compliant, and responsive. Breaking down a large effort into manageable tasks and assigning them to appropriate members of the team with deadlines spreads the work out, optimizing team members strengths. Consistent and clear communication throughout the process and checking in with members who have let their deadlines slip. Good and consistent communication also keeps everyone aligned and moving forward together. I also start fast and finish slow. Leaving room close to the deadline to make sure you have checked all the boxes.

Focus on the Why, How, and What: Why: *Stay focused on the end goal. *Why is the deadline vital to the problem you are trying to solve? How: *Communicate continuously to keep stakeholders informed of progress and engaged as needed to drive outcomes. *Focus your energy on problem solving and staying positive vs. worrying and ruminating. *Practice self care with frequent breaks, exercising and staying hydrated *Inspire and empower your team to do the same What: * What is the outcome you are delivering with this tight deadline? * What do you need to tweak/change if old processes do not work as quickly as you need them to *What is the best way to level-set expectations about the outcome given the deadline?

As a CEO, I launch different projects with different deadlines and energy requirements that are within my own responsibility. I strive to balance my time between focusing on long-range imperatives while responding to the tyranny of the urgent. Due to multiple priorities, I find managing my energy levels leads to managing my emotions towards better and more thoughtful inquiry, decision-making, and collaboration. Also, I believe it is important to create a planning process. Our Senior Leadership team creates the organization’s calendar tied to our strategic priorities on 3-year basis, with quarterly check-ins. On my calendar, I time block 1-3 months in advance, towards priorities that require my personal efforts, including thinking time.

Breaking tasks into smaller parts, Set realistic goals with specific timeframes, Prioritize critical tasks, easing stress and maintaining focus on what matters. Utilize effective time management such as the Pomodoro Technique, to enhance productivity. Celebrate small victories to foster a positive mindset and organizational success. Keep a tidy workspace and to-do lists for stress reduction and enhanced control. Cultivate a positive mindset by reminding yourself of the end goal's satisfaction. Share deadlines and progress with colleagues for added support during challenging times. Take short breaks to prevent burnout and promote a healthy work-life balance. Reflect on the purpose of your work finding intrinsic motivation in its significance

Choose a significant task to get started with and do it first thing in the morning, if possible before checking email. The progress on something important helps with focus and motivation, allowing me move through other tasks and, ultimately, complete on deadline.