I love deadlines. They're the only way I get anything done. I wrote two short stories in two weeks, which doesn't seem like all that much at first, a total of around 6000 words which is less than 500 words a day, plus revisions, but still. I swear if I didn’t have external deadlines I'd never get anything done. Why can't I set deadlines for myself and have them work? Probably for the same reason I keep buying potato chips after telling myself I'm not going to buy potato chips anymore. If no one else knows I'm a slacker, what's my motivation to not be one?Friday, January 15, 2010
100 Words About: Deadlines
I love deadlines. They're the only way I get anything done. I wrote two short stories in two weeks, which doesn't seem like all that much at first, a total of around 6000 words which is less than 500 words a day, plus revisions, but still. I swear if I didn’t have external deadlines I'd never get anything done. Why can't I set deadlines for myself and have them work? Probably for the same reason I keep buying potato chips after telling myself I'm not going to buy potato chips anymore. If no one else knows I'm a slacker, what's my motivation to not be one?
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The key to modifying any behavior are the words, "Or What?"
ReplyDeleteProfessional deadlines have a very clear "Or What?" So do college papers and exams. So does mom. Even training dogs involves "Or What?"
"Or What?" does not necessarily mean your earlobe ends up in mom's death grip, but it does need to be something that matters.
If your own goals and deadlines come with an "Or What?" attached, they are suddenly much easier to achieve.