Does anyone else find deadlines impossible?

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I know I certainly do, especially concerning multiple college assignments. I am currently doing a Level 3 BTEC diploma, which as an approach to working and assessment is very well suited to me but I seem to find it extremely difficult, if virtually impossible, to submit more than one assignment on time.

As expected, I generally juggle two or three assignments at a time, I have a good track record in terms of achieving quality marks but handing in assignments on time has always been a weak point for me, I wouldn't be too bothered by this but the amount of strain it causes on me both in terms of stress, lack of free time and my self-esteem is really difficult to endure long term. Not to mention when I start to study at a university level, I know that handing in assignments within the submission deadline will be all the more important as I could potentially lose out on big marks by this and from past experience I know that falling behind in just one unit could drastically hinder my ability to achieve all assignments that follow due to the increasing workload that at this points seems an inevitability.

I want to know, A, how others struggling as I do cope and B, if there's anything I can put in place to either get support with achieving the work on time or alternatively getting an extension for each assignment for the same reasons I get extra time in exams, if possible, bear in mind that I live in the UK so I'm only really interested in the support in place over here. Please share any relevant remarks below.

Back when I was in school, I was notorious for handing my assignments in late. I hated working with deadlines, and I found that the deadlines the teachers set for many of my assignments were just downright unrealistic. Of course, I also had a hard time knowing when to stop when I got working on something, or what constituted "good enough".

If you get an extension it will just become a new deadline for you. It doesn't make it any easier to put things off, in fact it makes you suffer more stress about it.

But would my mark be effected by it? Especially on the grounds specified, this is of course assuming that the work is of the same quality that would constitute a higher if handed in on time.

Just start right away and finish the assignments. If the deadlines bother you when they get close, finish before they get close.

In the real world, missed deadlines can cost your business huge money and early completion can raise you above the competition. Forget about support and find a way to deal with it if you want to succeed.

I know how it feels to fall behind and have to catch up, and I hate it. Being ahead on all my tasks gives me tremendous pleasure. Catching up really puts a strain on me, but the feeling of accomplishing my goals partly makes up for it. If I want to come out ahead emotionally, I can only do it by constantly staying ahead of schedule.

Of course that is what I want to do, I don't put things off but the main issue I have is I think too much, too much perfectionism; it's not something I can easily avoid. I have been able to keep ahead and I know I will again, it's just right now I'm in something of a slump and it's something I've got to deal with. And why shouldn't I try to get support?

There's no point in making things any harder than they need to be at a time like this, anything to speed things up, at this point I have everything in place but I am uncertain on how I am going to be able to cope at university, understand that I am just frightened, knowing that speed is a thing I struggle with. I want to succeed as much as anyone and I will do my best to achieve it, just sometimes it feels like even my best is not good enough, and I'm not going to accept being slow, because I can't afford to, not if I want to succeed in my chosen career path.

Also I am constantly fighting with the notion of, what if I am too slow or not good enough for the "real world"? I'm not ready for the real world and I don't know when I will be, all I know is that right now deadlines are impossible and I just want to get through this slump and avoid any repetition of this in the future!

Re-prioritize your idea of perfection so that timeliness has more importance than any other aspect of perfection. Ultimately, defeating those perfectionist tendencies will serve you better, but I know full well the difficulty of eliminating perfectionism.

Everyone has different struggles, but if at all possible dealing with your problems yourself will reap more benefits than having your problems accommodated. If by support you mean help learning to deal with the issue yourself, then it makes sense to seek it. If by support you mean an institutional pass from deadlines, then I know that I would likely take the path of least resistance and avoid facing my problem head-on.

If you care about doing good work, then you have a huge advantage over the general population in terms of making it in the real world. Working out a system of time management that lets you avoid stress will give you another big advantage. If you can learn new ways to work that will overcome this issue, then those two virtues will set you above the competition sufficiently that a few eccentricities won't matter to a reasonable employer.

If you know you will have an extension, the extension just becomes your new deadline. I would also ecco the advice about doing assignments when you get them.

Another tip just occurred to me: savor the good feelings of finishing things. Reward yourself, even.

Just to make my issues totally clear so I am not being criticised for a problem that I don't have. The main reason I started the thread was out of fear of failing at university, as the prospect of losing marks and having to be held back due to a weakness in time management terrifies me, and I was wondering if I had clinical grounds to not be marked down if I hand in work within a certain time frame after the deadline as it is unfair that I get given a lower grade when my work is just as good a quality and all of the skill and know-how is from me, it's just I need some time to adjust and prepare for the task just as when I would get extra time for an exam. Now I know that it doesn't work that way in the 'real world' but the point is when I'm doing the job I am suited for that would not be a problem, but in order to get that job I might need to do as good as I can at college but in order to do that I need all the help I can get which may include compensation for the hindrance that my disorder can sometimes entail on my work and performance.