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Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats

1001: Managing Deadlines + Stress

Syntax - Tasty Web Development Treats

Wes Bos

Tech News, Technology, News

4.91.2K Ratings

🗓️ 4 May 2026

⏱️ 33 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Scott and Wes tackle the all-too-real stress of crunch time as a web developer—how to handle looming deadlines, avoid sloppy shortcuts, and stay methodical when everything feels like it’s falling apart. They share practical tips on planning, communicating, cutting scope, asking for help, and preventing the chaos from happening again next time. Show Notes 00:00 Welcome to Syntax! 02:53 The Importance of Planning and Organization. 05:16 Slow Down, Take a Step Back. 06:05 Identifying and Managing Tasks. 08:35 The Role of Communication in Project Management. 11:24 Cutting Features and Managing Expectations. 14:52 The Balance Between Perfectionism and Productivity. 16:42 Getting To Work. 19:31 Updating Tools and Issues As You Go. 22:34 Asking for Help. 25:29 Prevention. 30:22 Communicate Clearly. 32:57 Brought to you by Sentry.io. Hit us up on Socials! Syntax: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Wes: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Scott: X Instagram Tiktok LinkedIn Threads Randy: X Instagram YouTube Threads

Transcript

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0:00.0

Welcome to Syntax. We got an amazing question in our inbox all about how did you deal with the stress of meeting a hard deadline when you're behind on work and tickets are coming in. And we're going to be taking this entire episode to answer that question, talk about the stress of work, dealing with this stress, and making sure

0:23.6

that this doesn't happen again. My name is Scott Tolensky. I'm a developer from Denver with me,

0:28.6

as always is Wes Boss. What's up, Wes? Yes, this is a great question. Thank you to whoever submitted it.

0:34.1

If you have other questions for us that you want us to answer, go to syntax.fm forward slash potluck and we'll answer on an upcoming episode. Usually we put them all

0:42.5

on a single show, but I thought that this one would make a nice tidy, quick little episode about

0:47.2

deadlines and stress and whatever. I think everybody feels that. I just wish I had a bit more time

0:53.6

or I just wish I could get more done in the time that I do have.

0:57.5

Yeah. You know, it's very funny that like this feels like something we could have talked about four or five times on this show. And we've never done an episode on this specific topic. Despite it being something that I feel like all of us have dealt with in our professional careers.

1:13.2

I used to actually work at a lot of agencies. So I know, you know, there's all kinds of different entryways and pathways in this industry.

1:18.4

And for me, I worked at three different sizes of agencies from a small-time agency where I was one of two devs to a little bit larger, where I was one of five devs and then a massive agency where I was one of two devs to a little bit larger where I was one of five devs and then

1:29.2

a massive agency where I was one of I don't even know how many devs because it was like a

1:33.4

two thousand person agency so yeah I got to say I feel like I've run the gamut on fast moving

1:41.0

projects hard deadlines things that need to get done.

1:44.6

And I feel like I have some good advice here.

1:46.5

But also, like, you know, we just did this mad CSS thing.

1:50.8

And that was a whole team project, right?

1:52.7

Our whole mad CSS tournament.

1:54.6

And we said, we're going to do this to coincide with March Madness, which that's a hard

1:59.9

deadline to say, okay, let's do a March

2:03.0

madness. And you would not believe how fast everything snuck up on you, whether that is

2:07.6

building an entire competitive coding platform or West, you built a bracket site. We had merch.

2:13.8

We had all these needs and stuff like that. It sneaks up on you so quick.

...

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