The Problem: Deadlines Feel Like Sand Through Your Fingers
Deadlines are a universal challenge, but for those of us with dyslexia, they often feel downright impossible. Imagine trying to hold sand in your hands—it slips away no matter how tightly you grasp it. That’s how managing time with dyslexia feels.
In school, we were told that extra time was the magic solution, but the workplace doesn’t offer that same luxury. Deadlines are fixed, the pressure is real, and the stakes are higher.
Here’s the catch: far-off deadlines can feel more like distant mirages than clear goals. Instead of sparking focus, they often trigger procrastination. The result? A last-minute scramble that feels like trying to sprint up a hill while juggling fire.
This isn’t just about poor time management—it’s how dyslexic brains process time. Breaking down a big task over days or weeks doesn’t come naturally, making it tough to pace yourself. Instead of a marathon, we treat deadlines like sprints, running out of time and energy at the worst possible moment.
Sound familiar? Keep reading.
Break It Down with Mini-Deadlines
Here’s the trick to making deadlines work for you instead of against you: mini-deadlines.
Think of your task as a pizza. Instead of trying to eat the whole thing in one go, slice it into smaller pieces. These slices are your mini-deadlines—manageable, bite-sized tasks that feel way less overwhelming than the whole pie.
For example:
Big Deadline: Submit a report in two weeks.
Mini-Deadlines:
Outline key points by Day 3.
Draft the first version by Day 7.
Complete edits by Day 10.
Not only do these smaller deadlines give you a clearer sense of progress, but they also reduce the stress of an all-or-nothing push at the end. To keep yourself accountable, share these checkpoints with a manager, coworker, or friend.
Deadlines Don’t Have to Be the Enemy
Deadlines aren’t out to get you. They’re tools to help you pace yourself—like mile markers in a marathon. When you stop treating them as a single, looming event and start using them to break up your tasks, you’ll find they’re much easier to handle.
Your dyslexic brain has its own rhythm—let’s learn to work with it instead of fighting against it.
Need more tips like this? Tune into our podcast, where we dive deeper into time management strategies that work.
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