By Amy Beth Miller
When you say that you will do something “soon,” do you mean in the next few minutes or the next few days? What do your co-workers mean when they say “soon”?
Imprecise language causes many misunderstandings. With work deadlines, vague language is particularly dangerous. For one person “Next week” means the first thing Monday morning, while for another that means by close of business Friday.
I’ve found that asking for a specific deadline not only avoids misunderstandings but also allows me to better manage my workload. I no longer drop everything to work on a new assignment as soon as it arrives. Instead, I check the dead line, and then I fit the assignment into my schedule.
Learn how to better manage your time with The Complete Time Management Toolkit.
