Workflows That Actually Help You Hit Deadlines Every Week

It's Sunday night. You're at home, mentally going through everything you have to do next week, and you're already feeling anxious about it. 

And it's not even Monday yet. 

Then you tell yourself, "No way, this week will be different!" and be all confident you'll hit every single deadline. When Friday comes, you'll be proud of all you did.

Fast forward to Tuesday afternoon. Your plan's in the trash because the work is one big mess. 

You didn't see the most important email of the week because it got buried under all the junk, and your colleague couldn't move on with their work because they were waiting on your input, which you didn't give because an urgent project came up. You feel like you're bad at what you do when, in fact, it's your workflow that's causing trouble. You're running on mental sticky notes, notifications popping all over the place, and hope. 

It can't really be anything other than chaos if this is the case, right? If only there were some way to replace this with a system that's calm and that you can count on.

Turns out, you can! 

Let's see how to do it. 

Why Workflows Are So Important When You're Trying to Meet Deadlines

When it comes to meeting deadlines, it's all about your workflows. 

Without them, the work is frustrating and chaotic. And, worst of all, you have no chance of both meeting your deadline and staying sane. Sometimes, you can't even do one of these things. 

A good workload is the ultimate antidote to chaos because it gets everyone involved on the same page. 

The whole team knows who does what and by when, so there's no guessing on Monday morning. This means that there are no tasks that you or anyone else forgets to do because everything's clear from the start. You don't need to constantly check in on others and vice versa. 

The thing that speeds you up is structure. 

Why? Because you're not wasting your mental energy on figuring out what to do next. 

Instead, you get in the flow and it just… Works. No switching context, no meetings about what to do. You get to reclaim all those hours in the week that used to go on just coming up with short-term plans. 

Keep in mind, though, the structure can't be too rigid because that'll break when the first problem comes up. You want it to be flexible, so that when something urgent needs to get done right away, you can handle it and not blow up everyone's week. 

This way, things stay smooth, and you don't risk burying one person in work while others sit and wait. 

Simple Workflow Tips That Make the Job Easier

Here's how to make your job easier and how to hit those deadlines without burning out in the process.  

Prioritize the Eisenhower Matrix

Have you ever felt like you've been crazy busy the entire day, but you didn't actually get anything done? This will help. The Eisenhower Matrix is a quick way to handle your tasks, and you start by drawing a box with 4 squares – 'urgent,' 'important,' 'important but urgent,' 'urgent but not important,' 'and neither.'

This will force you to see what needs your attention right away and what you can deal with later. 

It basically takes 5 minutes to do, but it saves you a whole lot of unnecessary effort. 

Time Blocking

To-do lists are great because they tell you what to do. But you also need time blocking in order to know when to do what. You can use your own calendar for this and simply book appointments. It sounds basic, and you'd think everyone does this, but they don't. 

As basic as this is, it's powerful. 

First, it prevents constant interruptions because you decide what you'll focus on beforehand. 

Second, it forces you to be realistic with how much time each task takes. 

Automate the Small Stuff

You're too smart to be a robot, so why are you still doing repetitive tasks manually? If you have the same email update that needs to go out every week, why not make a template? 

If you're always moving data from one app to another, why not connect them with a workflow automation tool/platform (e.g., Zapier, Microsoft Power Automate, etc.)?

Your goal is to get the boring, predictable stuff off your plate. This not only saves you time but also keeps things smoother. This is especially important for businesses that are in what you'd call 'tricky industries' (e.g., CBD, casino, subscription services, etc.).

This kind of workflow is key for them, especially when it comes to setting up dependable credit card processing for high-risk businesses, because financial processing and regulations are extremely complicated here. If you're in such an industry, then you want your business to run smoothly and not be constantly clogged up by complications/delays.

Conclusion

A good way to start is to pick one of these tips and see what it does for you.

Don't try to do it all at once because you'll overwhelm yourself and everyone around you. Remember that you're not trying to become a productivity maniac, you just want to get to Friday feeling like you did a good job that week.