Deadlines Made Easier

It may sound crazy, but you don’t have to lose sleep over deadlines. Yes, they are undeniably, no-two-ways-about-it VERY IMPORTANT to keep in mind in a yearbook program. And managing them is a skill that your staff needs to have down to an art as quickly as possible. Managing time and successfully meeting deadlines isn’t just a necessary skill in the staff room, but like the many things one learns on staff, it’s a skill that will prove to be valuable later on in life, too! Here are some tips to say goodbye to deadline blues forevermore:

Mark deadline dates on your own calendar. As adviser, you’re the responsible one and truly, the only one that needs to know the actual deadline dates. Compare plant production days and your school’s academic calendar. Do any of the dates fall on testing days or holidays? Plan accordingly.
Set staff completion deadline dates two weeks prior to the plant’s submission deadline dates. By having a two-week window, you will have wiggle room to breathe when a staff (inevitably) doesn’t have pages ready on time. This is where staffers’ grades are taken into consideration, as well.
Send in pages as soon as they’re complete. Don’t wait to send a large batch of 80 pages — if only 40 are ready, send 40.
When deadlines are successfully met, reward your staff. Give them a day off from yearbook, throw a small party with food or watch a movie as a staff. Incentives like these do wonders for motivation (aka finishing subsequent deadlines on time, too!)
Complete as many pages as possible before winter break — for two good reasons. When you get ahead, you and your staff can relax together before the break with holiday celebrations and much needed downtime. Plus, you won’t want to face a big deadline right away when your staff returns in January. That’s unnecessary pressure that can be avoided.

Implementing these tips can seriously alleviate deadline stress. Emphasize to your staff the benefits of being on top of each and every deadline. Less stress and more fun make for a very happy year in the staff room.