What are deadlines and why do we have them? That question comes to mind every now and then since my life seems to be made up of deadlines. If you look up the word deadline you get "DeadLine: The point in time at which something must be completed". That seems right at least that is how we look at deadlines today. Of course I found that is also means the line that if a prisoner crossed they would be killed. Maybe that is where the stress comes from with deadlines, the fear that if we don's finish in time it will kill us. I wish I had not found that part of the definition, now deadlines will bother me even more.
A good friend of mine gave me a plaque for my desk that reads - Deadlines - the Ultimate Incentive. Is that really the case? Why do we put deadlines on ourselves? More importantly why do we let others put deadlines on us? It is bad enough that I have to put up with my own deadlines, now I allow others to give me their left over deadlines that they are not using. I am very bad at putting deadlines on myself. Just about everything I am going to do I have some kind of self imposed idea of when I should be finished. It does not matter if it is doing the laundry (yes I do the laundry sometimes) or doing something at the church I put my self under stress by coming up with some kind of crazy deadline. Well, I think I should stop doing that but then again...I do love a good deadline.
I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.
Douglas Adams - 1952-2001
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