Wait or don't wait

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Should I wait until the last minute? Should I work right up until the deadline? Or should I turn the work in early? Should I try to get ahead?

Should I wait or don't wait?

I would say it depends. I think many would argue that the best work often comes towards the very end... right before the deadline. And there's something to be said for that. But, there's also something to be said for getting ahead of things if it's more of a regular task, so that you can focus on something else or so that others aren't waiting if they are also depending on your timeliness.

If your decision to work right up to the deadline is causing others to also work after your done to still meet the deadline and it's a regular occurrence, you need to figure out how to get ahead and stay ahead. You don't want to be holding up the process and risking poor quality work, because you're working to close to the deadline.

On the other hand, if this is a one-off request and the others that are involved are small... work right up to the deadline.

I think the question to ask is what will the impact of me thinking about this, working on it, and pushing it off until the final deadline? Better work or sub-par work?

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