Avoid That 'Dead at Deadline' Feeling

Planning a multipart project is usually a complex dance of coordinating deadlines, dependencies and responsibilities. But you should add one more ingredient to your Microsoft Project template before starting off on your next big adventure: rhythm.

Too often we chunk projects without thinking about how much energy each segment requires of us. How often have you come to the three-quarter point of an engagement only to realize you are running on empty and your work is suffering because of it.

In The Art of the Self-Imposed Deadline on Harvard Business Publishing, Steven Demaio warns against "the curse of the final push." He writes:

"Scope and sequence a project so that each part is shorter than the one that precedes it. Feeling the work units shrink as you go gives you a tangible sense of progress and speeds you toward the end."