Working to Deadlines

Image - Geralt at Pixabay 

I missed a week of blogging, and the reason for that, is that I was writing a tender. A tender with a deadline and the stress that comes along with it. I finished within the deadline and after I was done, I had a nap, because, well, I was exhausted. 

It got me thinking. How do deadlines affect the way you work? Authors for example; If you have a deadline, do you rush and finish at the last minute, or do you plan your time out carefully and construct the manuscript to what you might believe to be perfect?
That's one of the issues I guess. Some days are flat days, the days where your imagination takes a break and completely blanks out. Or that's what I experience anyway. I don't think that's a bad thing though. There's one thing I've learnt from working to tight deadlines under stress, it's that I work efficiently and effectively well. I thrive under pressure, my brain wakes up, my heart races, my face burns. I enjoy the stress. How sad is that!!! Maybe it's because I'm a city girl with no patience and the need to go go go, or maybe it's just built into my genes. 

Image - JamesDeMers at pixabay





I'm not a published author with an agent or publisher breathing down my neck, I'm an aspiring author with a story to tell, and a manuscript to edit, but... I don't have a deadline, which is probably why it's taken me so long to finish. Yes, I'm disciplined and write/edit every day, but as they say, an author can continue to edit for their entire life, never happy with the finished product, and yes, I can be a bit of a flake, getting distracted by craft projects, cartoons, puppies, kittens, anything cute or messy. 

I'm starting to think I should put a deadline on myself. I would probably be a lot more productive. So don't shy away from deadlines, meet them head one. You'll probably surprise yourself, trust your work, find that your more competent that you think you were.