Personal and professional deadlines are useful tools. If we don’t do our work, all deadlines turn into frightening fiends that choke us with stress and fear.
We know about the professional deadline. The paper is due tomorrow at 6pm. That project needs to be delivered next Tuesday by lunch time, etc…
These are useful tools to keep us sharply focused on the project we’ve started. But there is a way to avoid the choking and terrible final rush that comes with a deadline.
I’m a bit of a procrastinator and most people I know are, too. I am envious of the boring stability that responsible people have. I hate the thought of being so predictable, but I crave the stability that it seems to bring.
This is why I’ve introduced the idea of personal deadlines to myself. I take any professional deadline and I give myself one less day, or week, depending on the length of the project. Fore example, the project that is due next Tuesday is personally due next Monday. The key is to stick to your personal deadline like it’s gospel.
This has allowed me to complete high-pressure tasks and jobs with far less stress. I target the personal deadline and am able to coast for the final day or week before the professional deadline arrives.
At first it’s hard to convince yourself that you absolutely must abide by the personal deadline, but after you do it a few times, you will love the flexibility and freedom it affords you. You won’t be pulling those all-nighters and freaking out while you’re wracked with stress and heart palpitations because you have no clue how you’re going to deliver by the real deadline. It’s a game-changer.