When I’ve got a “do this pretty soon” project, it never gets done. When I’ve got a meeting to discuss a document on a certain date, I feel like a jerk if I don’t have the document ready or reschedule because I’m not ready, so I typically make myself find time to get the document ready. Once in awhile I find I can’t meet the deadline, and need to reschedule, but that means I’m extra conscious of the deadline and extra worried about completing the task, rather than having the forgotten/neglected task fall off my radar entirely.

When I keep on top of this, my clients & I get projects finished, I get paid, and everyone’s happy. When I get lazy or sloppy and don’t schedule that next meeting in advance, someone’s gotta remember to call someone else to either check status or schedule another meeting, which almost always means waiting until someone’s impatient or unhappy, which doesn’t make for a good working relationship.

Figuring out that this is what it takes to keep myself productive has made a tremendous difference in my productivity and client relationships.