Do You Like A Deadline?
Deadlines are boundaries that help us to adjust and monitor our motivation.
Des and I were talking about this on one of our beach walks recently. I am not partial to goals and Des reminded me how I respond to a deadline. When I had my textile art business, I had lots of deadlines, closing date for an exhibition, set show date, delivery of ordered scarves or other stock. I always met those deadlines. This also reminded me of what Seth Godin said about shipping in Linchpin and that artists ship. The D – deliver your material on time reminded me of this- sometimes we have to let our babies- they might be an e-book, a program, a teleclass be shipped- yes sometimes it might not be perfect- now remember that is in your eyes 🙂
I know deadlines drive me to complete tasks and goals that otherwise would not get done. I often thrive under the pressure of a deadline. It’s how I get artworks into exhibitions, books published and currently getting a daily article on this blog as a part of the current 31 Day Blog Challenge So now is for me a good time to put some deadlines in place to ensure some projects I have sitting here get shipped before the sun closes on 2010.
The flip side of meeting deadlines usually means something else gets put aside. Sometimes put in a box, sometimes get lost under a pile of to do’s in the intray or sometimes just gets discarded. Maybe they were things that were just not important anyway.
I love deadlines
I like the
whooshing sound
they make
as they fly by.
-Douglas Adams
Do you love deadlines?
Do they drive you crazy or do they make you cry?
Gratitude to Foxywriter for this wonderful Deadlines image
I love deadlines! I know its crazy, but I work very well under deadline pressure, probably because I’m a writer. I love the way everything becomes focused towards achieving the goal, and as you say, the less important things fall away. I can’t always work this way, though, so I’m actually working on learning how to work in a less frenetic way and make steady progress towards my goals.
Hi Charlotte,
I understand exactly what you are saying. I relate to it both with writing and to art and it does drive me to completion. Let me know when you find the magic solution 🙂
Hi Suzie
Bit of both… they can excite and make me cry.
Depends on the sort of deadline it is.
Deadlines that can’t be achieved make me cry.
Deadlines that are a challenge excite me – as you put it “thrive under pressure”.
Fine balance – excite / make cry.
BTW – love the Douglas Adams quote.
Hi Keith,
great to meet you, and yes I agree it is a fine balance and there are as you allude to deadlines that make you ecited and those that make you cry 🙂