Words We Use: Deadline

In my line of work, I often find myself looking for the right word to use in a situation – be it via email or verbal. The words we use in any situation are powerful, and can influence the manner in which our points are perceived.

A word I frequently encounter is “deadline.” Deadlines for clients, for internal tasks. Deadlines dictate how we prioritize our work and allocate our resources, but I hate the word. It implies pressure and grave (pun intended) consequences. “You better get this done by the deadline or else!” Let’s consider some alternatives:

• Milestone à Better connotation and a more positive message, but I think it makes tasks seem larger and more daunting than they in fact are.
• Due Date à Pregnant women have due dates. Our projects have nothing on what they have to go through J
• Target à Targets are hard to hit, especially the ones that move.
• Goal à Bingo! Goals are fun. You can score a goal, achieve a goal. It’s easy to say, not hard to find, and when you reach them, you get to celebrate!

Looking forward to a 2012 where all our goals are met!