Are you avoiding a chore when reading this story? If so, keep this in mind, as fresh studies reveal that putting off a project could compromise the impression of your work.
Researchers studying the psychology of procrastination have shown that in-service work turned in late is typically viewed more negatively than work turned in on schedule. Lateness alone reduces others’ impressions of the quality of the job, even if it is objectively the same.
Why Does Meeting Deadlines Matter More Than You Think?
The results suggest that should one sacrifice a deadline to improve a piece of work—a report, a proposal, or even a creative project—taking more time to polish may not gain points with coworkers or superiors. The study revealed that, independent of any gains gained with more time, late work was often considered worse quality.
“All the research we found looked at how deadlines impact the minds and actions of workers,” a researcher engaged in the project says. When others view those workers, we want to know how a deadline affects their mental and behavioural state.
How Does Timing Affect Perception of Quality?
The study surveyed thousands of people in the United States and the United Kingdom. It included managers, human resources experts, and executives, among other professions, including evaluation of others’sothers’ performance. Participants were requested to review several entries, including news stories, business plans, advertising flyers, artwork, product pitches, and photography. They were told if each submission had been finished early, on time, or late before assessing each one.
The data were unambiguous: work labelled as “late” was routinely judged as less quality than the same work labelled as “on time” or “early.” The researchers said that this change in viewpoint was like an objective shortcoming—that is, one missing a word count or including other concrete mistakes.
How Does Lateness Impact Perceptions of Integrity?
The study also looked at how lateness affected how honest the workers seemed to the assessors. A missed deadline caused assessors to view the worker as less dependable and sincere, lowering their desire to offer future jobs or cooperate with that person. Though the calibre of the work itself remains duplicate, late entries for many bosses and coworkers imply a lack of accountability or foresight.
A researcher who participated in the study said, “Everyone saw the same art contest entry, school submission, or business proposal, but they couldn’t help but use their knowledge of when it came in to guide their evaluation of how good it was.”
Does Submitting Work Early Offer Extra Credit?
Fascinatingly, the study also revealed that turning in work ahead of time had no apparent effect on evaluation impressions. Prior submission of work could have improved quality from the perspective of superiors and colleagues. Meeting the deadline itself was of the utmost importance. Moreover, it made no difference whether the work was late by a Day or a week; both situations were seen adversely even if the employee had given advance notice of the delay.
The study implies that fulfilling deadlines represents how well a person can manage and plan their job, even if personal circumstances call for them to change deadlines; it also shows how timely one can be.
What Is the Planning Fallacy, and How Does It Affect Us?
This research expands on past psychological discoveries on the “planning fallacy,” a phenomenon whereby people undervalue the time and effort needed to finish activities. This idea helps us often persuade ourselves that we can finish faster even if we know from past experiences how long something takes. This illogical planning indicates poor time management, a quality usually discouraged in business environments.
“Being reasonable about time commitments is vital. Whether more time is used to enhance the work, evaluators view missing deadlines as a result of poor planning, the writers said.
When Are Exceptions Made for Missing Deadlines?
Though rare, the study also revealed that occasionally, perceptions can be influenced by the causes of a delay. External, inevitable elements—such as jury service—were not seen as adversely, implying that managers might allow more tolerance when events go beyond the reach of an employee.
“You, as the employee, should let your manager know if missing the deadline was beyond your control,” advised one of the researchers. “That seems to be one of the rare times someone cuts you a break.”
In essence, even though it’s tempting to optimize every moment to improve a project, following deadlines could be just as crucial as the quality of the end product.
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