The Magic of a Tight Deadline
The funny thing about life is that, if we stop and pay attention, it is constantly teaching and re-teaching us valuable lessons. One lesson I seem to have to learn over and over again is the magic of a tight deadline. And by “tight deadline,” a mean an imminent deadline that cannot be changed - a “now or never” kind of deadline. When I find myself up against this type of absolute deadline, I can accomplish more than I ever thought possible. But then I swiftly forget the lesson and continue along with my long-term deadlines and my moving targets and wonder why I don’t seem to be getting anywhere.
So, life decided to teach me again that my best work comes from these tight deadlines. I decided to sell my house. But I decided this five months ago and did almost nothing to prepare, except for continually moving the deadline for listing further out (and I’m sure annoying my real estate agent in the process). Until finally, my agent gave me a deadline that could not be moved. Or at least it could not be moved and still expect the same amount of success in selling the property. All of the sudden, I was able to get everything ready. I was able to paint the entire interior of the house (with help from some truly generous and kind-hearted friends) in a matter of days. I was able to clear the entire backyard of the jungle weeds I had allowed to take hold. I was able to clear easily 80% of all the contents of the home and move them to storage so that the rooms appeared larger and less cluttered to interested buyers. I stayed up late. I woke up early. I didn’t sleep sometimes. But it all got done, just under the deadline, and everything looked great.
I’ve been taught this lesson before. When I set myself an internal deadline, one that I am able to move around to suit my mood, I rarely meet the deadline. When I have an external deadline too far in advance, I either don’t do the work until the last minute when I can feel the pressure of the deadline or (even worse) I do the work ahead of time and then decide I hate everything I’ve done and do an entirely new project at the last minute. But if I set a firm deadline that cannot be changed in the relatively near future, I will get it done. This is just the way I work and now I can accept that about myself. I just have to remember it and make it work for me.
If you are of the same work mindset as me, then it will serve you well to remember the magic of a tight deadline. To set yourself deadlines that cannot be changed in order to create that pressure that allows you to function at your best. But this begs the question, “How do I set a tight, immovable deadline for myself?” After all, we generally get to control our own calendars (at least when it comes to things like painting the house or writing a book). So if I don’t feel like finishing my book by June 30 (or whatever my self-imposed deadline is), then I can just move the deadline. When this happens, I find that I just keep moving the deadline down the road and nothing ever gets done.
The key is to create deadlines that demand a sense of accountability. In producing my first book, I tied its release to the launch party I was already planning for Typing Monkey Publishers. By creating an event, I was able to tie two major deadlines to it and ensure that the work got done. My business was officially up and running, and my book was officially published and printed for distribution. Without that event, I may still be trying to get either one of those done. Alternatively, share your deadline with people you trust to hold you accountable. Or create personal consequences if you do not reach the deadline. Whatever works for you. But the deadline must be immovable and close enough to matter in order for the pressure to light that fire within you.
This approach does not work for everyone. I know plenty of people who do beautiful work without a tight deadline. Far-off deadlines in the future with no accountability work for them, and honestly I’m a little bit jealous of those people. I would probably have a lot less stress in my life if I could function with far-off deadlines that can be moved around and still produce work that I am confident in and proud of. But that is not me. If it were, my blog entries wouldn’t consistently be completed at the very end of the month. For me, I need the magic of a tight deadline.
