Nobody likes
deadlines. Pressure!
Stress! Anxiety!
But we’ve all dealt with them.
If you’ve ever written a term paper the night before it is due,
raise your hand. (Mine is
raised.) If you’ve ever “crammed” for an exam the night before
it was given, raise your hand. (Mine
is raised.)
It has been said
that 75% of all modern technology was perfected within 48 hours of a trade
show. Why?
The trade show is a perfect example of a deadline; products simply must
be ready because the stakes are high.
Even though they
tend to be unpleasant, they can be turned to your advantage. How? By using
them to motivate yourself to get things accomplished!
Here are some examples of how I have purposely set deadlines for
myself in order to insure that I get things done.
As I learned about
the speaking business, it became apparent that it was critical that I
write articles such as this one. They
can be used in a number of ways to further my career, but I knew that they
would never get written unless I had deadlines.
When John Patrick approached me to write this column in the
Alpenhorn, I was thrilled; not only because I would have the opportunity
to be printed in his paper, but because I knew that the deadlines would
get me to actually write these articles!
I offer several
different speaking programs, one of which is “10 Simple Things You Can
Do Right Now to Screw-up Your Small Business”.
Before the program was even developed, I made a commitment to give
it at a Chamber of Commerce off the mountain.
They scheduled a date, sent out notices, arranged a special
luncheon, etc. Do you think I
was ready when the time came? You
bet I was! Do you think I
would have developed that program without the deadline?
Probably not! Now I
have a program that I can offer; a product that was created by
forcing myself into a deadline situation.
Do you have an idea
for a product or service that you’d like to develop?
Are you waiting for “just the right time” to get it off the
ground? Do you think you’ll
really do it? Set a deadline
for yourself. Make a
commitment to someone other than yourself; a commitment that, if missed,
will cause you great embarrassment or loss of credibility.
You’ll be amazed at how motivated you get!
Somebody once asked
me, “Why don’t you just set your own deadline?”
My answer is this:
for me, that isn’t a great enough motivator.
If I just post a note on my computer that I have to do
thus-and-such by a certain date, I don’t really take it seriously.
It doesn’t work, but that’s just me.
If it works for you, great! Do
it! I need to make a commitment to someone else to make this
concept work for me. And I
do. And it does.
Find out what works
for you, and then do it. You’ll
be amazed at what you can accomplish.
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