"A deadline is a deadline... so get it done".

But first we should look at where the word "deadline" comes from. It seems there was an infamous prisoner of war camp called Andersonville during the US Civil War, and by all accounts it was a hellish place to find yourself. The camp was surrounded by a stockade and twenty feet from the in face of the wall there was a line that was sometimes marked and sometimes not. If a prisoner crossed that line, they were summarily shot on the spot — It was called the deadline. By the 1920's the term had evolved into a less violent meaning and became synonymous with a time limit or due date (particularly in the newspaper business). It has now found its way into everyday life as the time something is due.

Deadlines can be man-made or created by mother-nature and influenced by many factors, including those of our own making... I want to focus on the deadlines we create, not necessarily deadlines that require getting off the volcano before it explores (although there is a certain motivation that comes with it). 

In a very practical sense, deadlines are needed to get things done, and are particularly important if there are a sequential number of activities that are dependent on the previous one — A Deadline offers the natural check and balance to ensure that we in fact get things done. The deadline also serves another very important purpose... it develops urgency and inspires. Nolan Bushnell* happened to say, "The ultimate inspiration is the deadline", and has become a motivational quote making its way around the Internet. 

The trick with deadlines however are to ensure that they are realistic, and also set in such a way that they stretch a person or a team to complete the project as quickly as possible. 

Poor deadline setting will result in constantly pushing the deadline back from its original date (or doesn't create an environment of urgency and inspiration) which can make the impossible... possible. This is where the need for good leadership to strike the balance comes into play.

Iif we look back to my blog situation that started this, I think it's fair to say that the goal of twice a week is realistic because I have been able to do it to date... ultimately I had to get creative by altering my process, and resetting some priorities to ensure that I was able to meet the expectations of a Wednesday post. Saying, "A deadline is a deadline... so get it done" made it completely appropriate and achievable, and inspired me to figure it out — Having a deadline gave me that.

About now, I should emphatically point something out that is very important... 

It goes without saying none of your core principles should be compromised to meet a deadline; be it quality, integrity, or anything you hold sacred. For me, at the core, I want to ensure that what I write is an improvement over what I previously wrote... be it grammar, content, or what people think.

With my deadline on the horizon, I want to mention one last thing— When you get a deadline that is End of Day (EOD) or End of Business (EOB), please remember that the business day officially ends when you fall asleep.

iamgpe

* Nolan Bushnell is an American engineer and entrepreneur who founded both Atari, Inc. and the Chuck E. Cheese's Pizza-Time Theaters chain.