Rethinking the Deadline

At 22, I got my first writing job. This was at the start of the Internet era and the beginning of a whole new paradigm in publishing. The world was hungry for content, and I was partially responsible for feeding it. My boss had implemented a strict 3pm deadline: all posts had to be turned in by then or else. It was a scary or else, but a motivating one too. I wrote more than I ever thought I could-- often with abandon and eventually with skill--and pressed SUBMIT every day at 2:59pm. That’s when I learned that you can’t just follow the muse. You need more tools than that.  

Under the weight of about 725,000 pounds per inch, and at temperatures of nearly 2200 degrees fahrenheit, carbon atoms bond together to begin forming a diamond. Fortunately we humans don’t require the quite same amount of pressure to create. Sometimes, though, the right kind of pressure or tension can yield spectacular, sparkly results.   

The word "deadline" comes from the "do-not-cross" lines that surrounded prisons during the American Civil War. Guards were told to shoot prisoners who crossed these lines, which were called "dead lines". Yes, seriously.  If a “dead line” isn’t motivation enough to finish what you start, then what is?

I tease my husband often about the titles he puts on his to-do lists; things like “Mission Critical” or “Sh*t List” or my favorite, “Fires to Put Out.” But this actually annoys me because words matter. They shape how we see the world. Every day, we have thousands of opportunities to make things better, more beautiful. To see each other and our duties in a different light. 

Given the choice, I don’t want to be motivated by fear. I’d much rather be pulled by love. So instead of calling these hard and fast rules “deadlines,” I propose recasting them as “lifelines.”  Opportunities. Because every ending is also a beginning, and the project that takes all of your time today could be wide open blue sky space tomorrow.

Take 2 minutes to consider this: What’s available to you once you complete your current project? How will that feel?