We like to give deadlines that sound firm but are actually flexible.
“I’ll get it to you later this week”.
Does that mean Thursday?
Are you talking about the working week?
Do you really mean Sunday?
Or are you actually saying it will be on your desk first thing Monday morning?
Setting a definite deadline is scary because you may lose face if you don’t follow through.
But giving yourself an out can cause you to kick the can down the road.
So if you say you really want to do something, set a specific deadline to gauge your conviction.
Rather than “later this week”, how does it sit with you to say it will be on your desk at 11am on Thursday?
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