How to Crush Deadlines: What to Do When Everything’s Due

Time is money. The ultimate inspiration is the deadline. I don’t need time; I need a deadline. And, our personal favorite, WARNING: Deadlines are much closer than they appear.

Yes, we’ve collected a cache of deadline-oriented inspiration over the years, as it’s one of DLE Reporting’s paramount strengths: crushing deadlines. Our clients rely on us to deliver quality transcripts and services on time, and we never disappoint. Here are a few of our secrets:

We take notes. No matter how certain we are that we’ll remember every detail related to our clients’ cases, we record all the details and then double- and triple- check them to be sure we’ve not missed a thing.
We take our calendar seriously. Managing multiple caseloads is a difficult juggling act, but we rely on both paper and shared digital calendar apps so that dates are clear to everyone on our team. Whenever possible, we set our deadlines a few days earlier than the original date; if problems arise, we’ve got time to handle them and avoid a late delivery.

We understand how we work best. Our DLE Reporting team is a widely diverse group of individuals all working together toward a common client goal. But not everyone thrives in the same work environment. Some need total quiet and solitude to be productive, while others work best in a bustling, busy office setting. By offering our team options in terms of work spaces, we’re enabling them to get their client work finished on time and to the very best of their abilities. Our clients definitely reap the benefits of this practice.

We know when we work best. A few of our reporters are night owls, as are several of our process servers. Others understand that they’re most productive during regular office hours; 5:30 rolls around, and they’re ready to disconnect. By allowing our staff to work when they work best, we cut down on a lot of ineffective efforts outside of those time frames.

We reward ourselves. It doesn’t have to be vacations to Tahiti every time we successfully meet a deadline; tiny rewards and extensions of appreciation are effective, too. From flowers to fresh fruit surprises, and even a gift card to a favorite shop, we know how important it is to honor hard work and no-fail consistency.

In our field, it’s easy to fall into the deadline pit. One rush job after another, followed by another, and we suddenly feel like we’re deep in a dark hole with no break in sight in our overwhelming workloads. We think about it like this, though: How fortunate are we to work in an industry that never sleeps? We are constantly inspired by the happenings around us, and no day is ever the same. With or without deadlines, we wouldn’t have it any other way.