The Reverse Calendar technique is a way for people who just can’t get things done on time or are always late arriving to meetings to finally tackle their procrastinating ways. Nancy F. Clark, CEO of WomensMedia, designed this method as a means of beating her own procrastination and finally arriving to appointments on time.
When using the Reverse Calendar method for business projects, you need to break down every task into “discrete steps.” People often forget about the little things they have to do to fully complete a task, so this list will help you remember what the project entails. The steps should be broken down as small as possible, even including items like contacting a client or asking your manager a question.
The next step is your “optimal project deadline.” Write down the date of when the project is due, then give yourself a time cushion of one or two days. If you are able to meet this optimal deadline, you’ll feel less stressed and pretty proud of yourself for getting the project done early.
For each of the steps you’ve written down, add how long each will take to complete. You’ll work backwards from your deadline and map out when when you’ll do each task — be exact with the amount of time it takes and the time of day you plan on completing it. Doing this will help you stay on track to beat your procrastination.
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