a deadline..
It had been a while since I had stringent deadlines to meet. I had fit into the role of a SAHM, with unexpected ease. The only strict deadline I meet these days is getting daughter to school on time. Once that is done, I have a comparatively easy and tension-free day. After years of crazy work schedules and near impossible deadlines, the life I lead now, is almost idyllic in comparison. There were days, when I used to see mothers pushing buggies on the road and wonder how it must feel. Well, I know now.
I had quite forgotten how it was to have a deadline and the feeling one gets, when it is about to be missed. Today, however, I had a deadline that I thought I would miss – that of the NaBloPoMo post. Normally, I plan in advance for most of my deadlines, and am normally comfortably within the acceptable time limits. Today, was a different ball game altogether.
We had no concrete plans for today. I had been feeling rather under the weather after last night’s movie. I am not a night owl, and late nights really pull me down. It was at the last-minute that we decided to drive up to Yorkshire Dales to a waterfall trail. I left home, with clothes drying outside, definite that we would be back before nightfall. Fate had other plans. We ended up eating out and getting home very late. So late that it was pitch dark outside, which is saying something, as it is light up to 10, on most days here, these days. Along with the darkening sky, I had this fear, that I would miss the post, which is something I just did not want to do.
I have this thing about deadlines. I cannot bear to miss it. I think the competitive spirit in me kicks in as soon as I am on the verge of messing things up. I have always managed to meet deadlines and thankfully, managed to scrape through today as well.
How good are you with deadlines? Do you like them? Or do you find deadlines terribly restricting? I do know that creative people are normally not too fond of deadlines. That, I guess indicates how non-creative, I am. I thrive on deadlines. I love that adrenaline rush that it gives me. And it also reminded me of all the parts of my job that I used to enjoy. The madness, the craziness and the joy when deadlines were met, clients were satisfied.. and that feeling that you gave it your all..
I share a love hate relationship with deadlines. Whilst I hate the deadlines given to me, I love to make up my own for the different stages of an assigned task…
I can understand that. Having internal deadlines for yourself 🙂
I am very bad with personal deadlines, always fail them.
If you give me a deadline, the work will be done well before that, the same happens at work 😛
🙂 LOL! So you need somebody else to set the deadline 🙂
But if I set a deadline for anything myself, it is a sure shot fail.
I know it means I tend to set unrealistic deadlines when I do that for myself, but I am yet to figure out the real cause behind it.
I guess, that explains it – you are tougher on yourself 😦
I’m not very good with deadlines… work deadlines – i finish ’em before I meet ’em!
Personal deadlines – mostly miss! 😦
I need to be a bit more organised with my personal stuff as well… working on it!
After years of crazy work schedules and near impossible deadlines, the life I lead now, is almost idyllic in comparison. There were days, when I used to see mothers pushing buggies on the road and wonder how it must feel. Well, I know now.
I keep telling ya smithus… a lot of ppl wud kill to have the life u have 🙂
as for deadlines, yes I hate missing them. I dont care for external deadlines, but the ones I set for myself…I hate missing those. I am generally an organized worker and love working in a pattern, finishing work systematically. If I am not able to do that, I get stressed.
If there were no deadlines, I would keep postponing and working on articles till I feel it is absolutely perfect. So deadlines work for me, it makes me stop and finish what I have. It makes me go to the next job9after finishing this)…But the bad thing is, I sometimes wait till the deadline to finish work too, and I too love the adrealine that courses up my blood stream, and it is that which makes me work better too…
Hard to believe but, strangely I am always before time… 😛
I love deadlines and I’m productive when I have a deadline set for myself..it works and the pressure to meet the deadline brings out an awesome output from me 🙂
without deadlines I kind of become lazy lazy 😉
Like you even I had forgotten what deadlines were or how meeting/missing deadlines felt like. Thanks to BPL, I’m getting a feel of it yet again :).
Yes it does disturb me when I fail to meet a deadline or get the slightest inkling I’m about to fail. But the thrill and the satisfaction I get when I achieve them makes up for all that. Its an amazing feeling!
Hey, you are too good…this is interesting! You wanted to do a post before the day ends and you made that ‘thought’ into a post, nice!
My post, which starts with a seed of a thought flows nicely, but when it is finished, I realize, how tensed up I was! But these posts come out nicely than the planned ones!
I have always been a last minute person, Smitha. Give me a deadline and I will wait until the eleventh hour 🙂 Btw, your Nablopomo posts are all really interesting 🙂
I luv the adrenaline rush too 🙂 It adds to the fun of dng things 😉 Looks like u hd a gr8 time Smiths 🙂 🙂
I hate deadlines..they make me nervous and I lose my creativity if I am forced to do something.
But when it comes to work…I have always managed to meet deadlines…much ahead of time..
i hate missing deadlines… i hate being late for appointments…:) and i know what u mean by nablopomo deadline
I dont like to miss my deadlines..as u said, I plan ahead and make sure that I am there in time. 🙂
Same pinch 🙂
I love deadlines…so it makes me a non-creative person too. But i love the adrenaline rush..i just love it 🙂 Its fun doing work under that kind of rush. I do plan at time to finish things before deadlines, but sometimes that rush is far far much better and FUN
That sounds just like me, Nids 🙂
u got the same Theme as mine..love it 🙂
I love it too 🙂 I saw it and had to get it 🙂
I have never faced any deadlines after college, where I had no strong feelings for them, I generally handed assignments in time… now you made me think!!
🙂 I just felt the pressure of a deadline in the last few weeks – with the NaBloPoMo and the BPL 🙂 I had forgotten how it feels 🙂
I guess I would prefer my own deadlines, probably a little before the actual deadline, so as not to take any chances. 🙂 Not sure, just wondering… What interesting idea you come up with Smitha!! 🙂 When did I have a deadline last?
Interesting idea? Thanks IHM 🙂 I just ramble about whatever comes to mind 🙂
I don’t like deadlines… I am like going with the flow… however I try I couldn’t change that…
thankfully my job don’t have stringent deadlines 🙂 🙂
Oh I dont like deadlines..and I usually miss them 😀