Deadline - what does it mean and where does it apply?

What it is

Today, the word “deadline” has begun to appear more and more often in office circles, and those who are not familiar with its meaning want to understand what we are talking about.

Many students are also familiar with the word “deadline”, since demanding teachers set limits for submitting essays, coursework and dissertations. What kind of word is this, and why has it taken root well in the Russian language? Let’s figure it out together.

For example, a portrait needs to be painted in watercolor, and the client has set a deadline of Friday. You cannot submit an order on Saturday, this will not be relevant, and, according to the client's requirements, the deadline will be on Friday. Everyone has dealt with this term since childhood, because even in school, children knew that they had to submit essays by Tuesday, make paper crafts before the next labor training lesson, etc.

Over time, the term smoothly wedges into the period of student life, where most students could literally study the history of Tsarist Russia overnight, or write an abstract on quantum physics from scratch. The deadline has become a boundary that encourages completing tasks on time.

The Dark History of the Term

The gloomy word “deadline,” which is increasingly heard in Russian, came to us from American English. Literally translated into Russian, deadline is a dead line. The etymology leads us to American prison camps (in some versions to prisoner of war camps), where guards drew a line along the fence, beyond which the prisoner was shot on the spot.

In general, a good deal won’t be called a deadline. Firing lines are no longer drawn on the borders of American prisons, but the concept has taken root and spread throughout the world. Only now the meaning of the word deadline has become a metaphor denoting the deadline for completing any work.

American IT specialists are to blame for starting to use this word in their slang, because it is in their work that meeting deadlines by each team member means a lot.

Where did this word come from

The word “deadline” has American roots, and for a long time its interpretation had a completely different character.

During the American Civil War, which lasted from 1861 to 1865, a deadline was a special line that was drawn around prison walls or inside the prison itself. The line was nicknamed “dead” because prisoners did not have the right to cross it, and anyone who dared to do so immediately lost his life and was shot. Any attempt to cross the ill-fated line was regarded by the jailers as an escape.

The war ended in 1865, but the word “deadline” firmly entered everyday life and became a household word. Naturally, all the horrors of the bloody conflict have sunk into the past, and the word has become synonymous with the phrase “extreme line”, and has ceased to be frightening. The word gained active distribution in a new interpretation thanks to American IT specialists, who began to use it to characterize the deadlines for completing the team’s work. Gradually, the concept of “deadline” entered the vocabulary of office workers, programmers, students, freelancers, etc.

In simple terms, a deadline means a fixed time for submitting work. The deadline is often tied to a specific date and exact time. For example, an essay must be submitted on Monday before one o'clock in the afternoon and not a minute later. You could often hear truly Russian phrases that are alien to foreigners: “deadlines are running out,” “emergency crunch,” “time is running out,” etc.

Violating the deadline for submitting work has negative consequences and is associated with some risks and even hardships, depending on the importance of the work. Sometimes the consequences may be minor, but sometimes they can turn into a real disaster.

But one should not assume that the deadline, as a phenomenon, exists exclusively among workers and students. Deadlines exist everywhere in everyday life. Imagine that you need to make a loan payment strictly before January 13, or pay for an online purchase by the evening, pay for a booked train or theater ticket.

In addition, the deadline has become one of the favorite tricks of businessmen. In shopping centers and supermarkets, every now and then you can find advertising of promotional offers, where it is indicated that the promotion period expires on a certain day. This is the so-called “marketing deadline”, which stimulates the client to purchase, and short deadlines only increase his desire to make a purchase faster.

Kinds

We can safely say that deadlines occur all the time in everyday life. In the morning we get up at a certain time in order to get to work on time, because the working day lasts from nine o’clock to six o’clock. That is, the deadline when you must appear at your workplace is nine o’clock. Or your child is in kindergarten, and you know that you need to pick him up before 4 o’clock, four o’clock is the deadline. Next, we will look at what types of deadlines exist and in what areas the concept is most often used.

In advertising

Advertising has firmly entered our lives, and it is not without reason that it is called one of the engines of trade. Through advertising, the seller tries to present the product in the best, most favorable light.

In addition, advertising helps to quickly convey a certain message from the seller to the client, which effectively affects the number of sales.

Why use a deadline in advertising? It's a matter of human psychology. When we know that a certain product can be purchased at a reduced price in a specific period of time, the desire to buy it instantly increases. We see the benefit in this proposal, and the brain interprets it as an economical allocation of funds. Strictly established deadlines for making purchases do not constrain the client, but only correctly make adjustments and increase the client’s desire to purchase the product.

For example, the sale of branded shoes and bags will last until September 15, after which each of the items presented in the store will have a higher price. The brain processes the information received and concludes that this offer is beneficial to us and is worth taking advantage of.

If a deadline for a consumer is an opportunity to purchase something at a reduced price, then for ordinary store employees the deadline can be considered the end of the reporting period, when it is necessary to prepare all sales documentation for the month. If employees do not fulfill the sales plan, which is clearly visible in the reports, it is impossible to qualify for a bonus.

How to learn to meet a deadline?

Knowing the meaning of the word deadline does not mean being able to follow it. This should become a habit that you develop yourself. To do this, you can follow these basic tips:

Learn to break your work into parts. This is one of the main tasks of the deadliner - the person who took on the order (i.e., the freelancer). This is especially important if the work is large. First, you should draw up a detailed work plan, and then gradually implement the most important points. Thus, by the end of the due date the assignment will be completely ready.
Start with the most difficult task, gradually moving towards a simpler task.
Mark completed tasks in your diary. Also, don’t forget to mark the deadline on your calendar – this will make it easier for you to remember it. You can use a special application on your smartphone for this purpose.
Forget about TV, computer games and social networks while completing the task.
Do not be distracted by household chores until you have completed the part of the work planned for the current day.

And most importantly: do not put things off until later. If the work is urgent or very extensive, start doing it now. When there is little time left before the order is submitted, you can calmly and slowly double-check everything and, if necessary, correct any mistakes.

In business

The sphere of commerce requires endurance and self-organization from entrepreneurs, so the concept of “deadline” is indispensable here too. The main purpose of a deadline in the commercial industry is to maximize the incentive for a potential client to purchase a product or use a service as soon as possible, rather than putting it off until later.

Deadlines have become one of the most successful methods of increasing capital and attracting customer attention. Why is he so successful and effective? The thing is that every day we get acquainted with tons of advertising, which is literally crammed with the Internet, radio, magazines, supermarkets, etc. In megacities, the abundance of advertising offers on luminous billboards and shining shop windows dazzles the eyes. Various corporations and businessmen are literally fighting for the client’s attention. How to attract attention to a new project in conditions of total advertising and PR? Apply the good old method of limiting the timing of sales at reduced prices!

The buyer must be placed within a certain framework, then he will have no chance for analytics and comparisons. As for the deadline as a stimulus for personal growth, the method also has a great effect on the self-organization of an entrepreneur. He disciplines, teaches to perform the necessary work within a strictly established time frame, allowing you to be the king of the situation, and not its hostage.

In what areas is the term Deadline used?

Advertising often uses a limited offer period. This encourages the client to make a purchasing decision faster. Advertisers call this offer: an offer with a deadline.
In the field of project management, Deadline is perhaps the most popular word because projects usually have an implementation plan that the entire team follows. This plan includes Deadlines for both intermediate tasks and the final Deadline for delivery of the project to the Customer (for example, development and delivery of software to the Customer).
For journalists, deadlines are usually periodic. For example, every Monday a journalist must submit material (an article) for publication.
In business, Deadlines can be urgent or gradual. An urgent Deadline often involves double payment to company employees, as it is due to the fact that the order must be completed as quickly as possible. A phased Deadline involves breaking down a large task into subtasks. Management controls the implementation of intermediate tasks.
in sports , such as the deadline before which a player can transfer to another football team.
We can say that the term Deadline is applicable to absolutely all areas of activity . When we make our list of personal goals , we also indicate deadlines. And if a goal does not have a deadline, then it is not a goal, but a dream.

If a goal does not have a deadline (=deadline), then it is not a goal, but a dream

To the cinema

Surprisingly, deadlines play an important role in cinema. Imagine that a major film company is looking for fresh scripts and ideas for films. To encourage young authors, the management gives fixed deadlines for submitting a short film, which cannot be ignored, and the best of the proposed options will receive a grant. For example, work must be submitted by July 31st. When submitting a painting on August 1, the author has no chance of having it considered, since the deadline was ignored.

All people involved in the creation of a film: screenwriters, actors, costume designers, decorators and others, have strict time limits, failure to comply with which can lead to the collapse of the project. The concept of “deadline” has found a response in cinema not only as a working tool, but also as an object for creativity. In 2006, the Russian film Deadline was released, telling the viewer about a screenwriter working in extreme conditions. In 2009, a film produced in the USA with the same name was released. According to the plot, the main character is trying to finish the script, but the ill-fated house is trying with all its might to prevent her from finishing the work on time.

How the deadline works

Have you ever had a situation in your life when a deadline was set, you took your time getting to work, and the project deadline came faster than you expected? At such a moment, most people begin to finish their work in a hurry, sitting through the night without sleep, and vowing never again to allow themselves to ignore strictly established work deadlines.

This approach is fundamentally wrong from the start and leads to irreversible consequences. The deadline has specific operating principles, following which you can really achieve the desired result:

The principle of urgency. If the deadline is postponed in advance for a couple of months, then we involuntarily look for excuses for ourselves not to sit down to complete the work on time, every now and then finding reasons to shirk the work process. Don’t set deadlines months in advance; promise yourself to tackle the task in the next week. This way you will be able to submit your work much earlier, and you will have more free time;
The principle of uniqueness. Remember that working on the same project takes different people different amounts of time. Our judgment, style and technique differ, so the deadline must be set based on your personal abilities;
The principle of reachability. Often global projects frighten us with the abundance of work. Psychologically, we may not be ready to carry it out, but we should not put off starting until later. Figure out right away what scope of work you have, where you need to start, what stages you have to go through. Then the goal will seem more achievable, and you will gradually resolve all working issues;
The principle of meaningfulness. There are situations when we do not fully understand the importance of a deadline. It seems as if you can ignore all the deadlines and let the situation take its course. Take work deadlines seriously and consciously, and you will not encounter force majeure situations.

Guided by these principles, you can successfully complete all your intended work and be a successful specialist in your field of activity.

What is a deadline in simple Russian words?

A deadline, in simple words, is the exact time at which work is due. This is usually a specific day on the calendar. It happens that the deadline is specified down to minutes, for example, on text exchanges a copywriter submits a text by a certain hour.

In Russian, the word “deadline” is often replaced with synonyms. Deadlines are running out, time is running out, time pressure is on the line, time pressure is urgent, it was necessary yesterday - an incomplete list of expressions meaning the expiring deadline for the delivery of any project.

Violation of deadlines entails unpleasant consequences. Depending on the type of activity, they can be either insignificant, purely reputational, or catastrophic.

Deadlines exist not only in work and school. It is found everywhere. Pay taxes on time, otherwise penalties will begin, take all tests before the operation, otherwise it will be cancelled, reserve time for the journey to the station or airport, otherwise the trip will not take place - all these are examples of limited deadlines in our lives, the violation of which entails certain consequences.

Businessmen of varying degrees of sophistication willingly use the deadline method. Cute tricks of small shops that “there are only two last items left, you’re the one who came in successfully, everything in front of you is sold out, take it, I’ll also give you a discount” and thoughtful marketing moves of giant corporations with advertising on billboards about a promotion that will only last until the end of January - all this is a marketing deadline that forces us to buy here and right now.

What is it for?

If the essence of the concept is now clear, then it’s time to figure out why a person needs a deadline, regardless of his field of activity. First of all, a deadline helps to coordinate actions, it disciplines, and allows you to highlight the logical stages of the work process.

In the event that several people are busy with one project, the deadline helps to increase labor efficiency and adds organization and coherence within the team. It helps managers plan the work process and direct employees to specific actions. In addition, the deadline helps to effectively distribute working time.

Strictly defined deadlines for completing certain work are important not only for office workers, programmers and students. A deadline will be an excellent assistant in any field, since it helps develop discipline in an employee, teaches him to complete all tasks on time, and also competently organize his own activities.

Surprisingly, it is the deadline that proves how much a person can manage to do. Having completed the work by a specific date, we easily take on new tasks, receiving psychological satisfaction from the fact that the work is going according to plan. Productivity increases, and along with it, the mood and microclimate within the work team significantly improves.

According to Parkinson's law, we spend exactly as much time on work as we initially allocated for its implementation. Accordingly, if you immediately set specific deadlines and achieve them, you do not need to put off old things, every now and then, returning to them.

Types of work with limited deadlines

Often, customers or managers set project deadlines with a reserve, taking into account force majeure and other complications during the work process, but sometimes the deadline can be completely unrealistic, this leads to marriage due to haste, hassle and other troubles. Based on the time allocated to complete a task and the nature of the work, deadlines can be divided into several groups.

Urgent. This group includes customers who like to say that they “should have done it yesterday.” They themselves do not know how to plan time and do not allow others to work in peace. Of course, sometimes urgent projects are justified and do not depend on the incompetence of the customer or manager. Haste and inadequately tight deadlines greatly harm the quality of work. This rule has virtually no exceptions.
Disposable. There is a task, there is an adequate deadline for its completion. The risk of this type of work is that the project is completed in its entirety on time; if mistakes are made or the result is not good at all, then you and the customer will find out about it too late. There may no longer be time for correction and improvement.
Repetitive. The most comfortable conditions for both parties. The contractor performs the agreed amount of work by a specific deadline with a certain frequency.
Step by step. This organization of work is convenient for large, bulky projects that are divided into several stages. In this case, the rush in the work of performers is minimized, and the possibility of intermediate checks appears, which has a positive effect on the quality of the result.

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