The Wonder of the Deadline

Over the summer, I got my biggest freelance contract ever. It’s contract work for an educational company, so my name isn’t going to appear on the bestseller lists any time soon. It’s good work, however, and it has taught me one thing that I had forgotten over the years—the importance of a deadline.

It is ironic that, in my day job as a teacher, I impose deadlines all the time. Now it’s me under a tight deadline, with my writing life kicked into overdrive.

With this project, I’ve had to write when I didn’t feel like it. I’ve had to write nearly every evening and every weekend. I’ve had to write on beautiful, sunny days when other people were at the pool or at the park. Talk about “B-I-C” time!

The main thing about this deadline-based work: I’ve learned how to stifle my habit of procrastination. Here was the typical writing day for me in the past:

1. Sit down to write. Write a title and a great first sentence.
2. Remember that laundry needs to be done. Get up, load laundry into washer.
3. Return to computer. Stare at the screen, willing words to come up.
4. Realize, “I’m hungry . . . starving, actually!” Go to the kitchen and whip something up.
5. Finish eating. See that the washer has kicked off. Put the clothes in the dryer.
6. Return to computer. Type another sentence.
7. Play a game of Solitaire to clear my head.
8. Remember that the “Laverne and Shirley” marathon is on. Watch one or two or five episodes.
9. Return to computer. Type another sentence.
10. Dryer has kicked off. Fold and put away clothes.
11. Return to computer. Type another sentence. Hate it. Delete it. Decide to come back to project tomorrow.
12. Realize, “I’m hungry . . . again!”

I can’t say that I’m totally cured of procrastination, but having a deadline has certainly helped. My ultimate deadline is looming, so I’ve pressed on despite laundry, hunger, and the “Laverne and Shirley” DVD set I got for my birthday.

And in the middle of my writing marathon yesterday, what did I get? A social media notification from the creator of this very website. Sure enough, it was a reminder that my deadline for this post was only a day away.

Need a boost in your writing life? Get a deadline . . . or impose one on yourself. You’ll be surprised at how productive you can be.