Happy Holidays!

Back to School is over so … Happy Holidays!

Some 32 million Americans started their holiday shopping by Labor Day…and are demonstrating that the impact of procrastination on holiday shopping and project implementation is similar.

Last minute shoppers use the back-scheduling approach, working from the latest allowable time for the task. They shop on Christmas Eve; no room for slippage. If the car stalls or snowstorms hinder overnight delivery, recipients get gifts from the nearest 24 hour drugstore – and the distinct impression that the giver couldn’t be bothered.

The early bird shoppers use forward scheduling and select the earliest possible start date.   In our terms, shoppers are shifting the Worry Curve and avoiding procrastination. They save time, aggravation and money by avoiding last minute desperation splurges, just as project teams can find and handle problems because they have room for slippage – no need for crazy overtime and budget overruns.

Smart retailers see the wisdom of an early start – some are already airing holiday ads. Meanwhile, smart project managers can take a tip from those early bird shoppers and learn how to get a jump on their project deadlines…and much more.