Why You Must Attempt To Stay On Time Or Ahead of Schedule On Your Project

When you are faced with a large project with several tasks to complete, it is vital that you stay on time or ahead of schedule when completing each stage or task of the project.  If you fall behind on any stage or task, it will make it more challenging to complete your project on time, and there can be some significant consequences that can result from trying to make up the time that was lost on earlier stages of the project.

Falling behind on any stage or task of a project means that you will have to pick up the pace on later stages of the project in order to complete it on time.  If you fail to complete the project on time, you will lose credibility and reputation with bosses, peers, customers, target markets, etc., depending upon your industry.  Of course, this will also negatively impact your profitability as well.  This is why you have to try to complete the project on time if at all possible.

Unfortunately, if you have to speed up your work on later stages of the project, chances are high that you will produce lower-quality work because you are rushing through it.  Additionally, you will be less able to take breaks as recommended by most experts; this will keep you from resting your mind and keep it from being as focused as it can be.  Most experts suggest taking 15-minute breaks every hour, but if you fall behind on your project, this will be much harder to do and still complete your project on time.

Therefore, there is a cumulative domino effect that occurs when you fall behind on a stage or task of your project that takes longer to be completed than expected, whether that’s due to procrastination, unexpected difficulties, etc.  This is likely to negatively impact the rest of your work on the project because you have to move at a faster pace to make up for the time lost earlier.  Additionally, you won’t be able to pace yourself and take needed breaks to keep your mind sharp throughout the rest of the project, likely leading to lower-quality work being produced as a result.  You’ll likely be more irritable and less enthused about your work as a result as well.  This is why it is critical that you stay on time or even ahead of schedule when working on all stages of a project so that you can avoid the negative consequences of falling behind.