Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy author, Douglas Adams, once said, "I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they go by.” That is one quote that will resonate with any entrepreneur who has a tendency towards procrastination and who is regularly time challenged when it comes to hitting key project or business deadlines. Yet deadlines can be our best friends in the business-world as long as they are strategic in nature. Strategic deadlines really do hold us accountable and help us at a practical level to move closer to our goals every day. They provide us with a timeline for action, and a framework for experiencing small wins along the way, instead of one big delivery target, if managed properly. So instead of bemoaning deadlines and seeing them as a huge pressure point, learn to love the power of the deadline to keep us focused on the end goal.

Sign up today to receive the #1-rated newsletters for Africa's women entrepreneurs.