Deadlines Drive Action

I was leaving the next morning for a four-day work trip, and all I could think about was how much I needed to get done before boarding the plane at 6:15am. I had a list of work tasks to be completed, and another list of personal to-do’s I wanted to accomplish. I hadn’t started packing yet, and I had a ton of work that I planned to get done during my time away.

My workday flew by, as I crossed off task after task. I felt like I was moving at a 1.5 pace – the same speed I listen to audiobooks on Audible. When I got home, I began working at the same frenzied pace on my personal list. This continued late into the evening, until I had to switch gears and start packing. 

“I can sleep on the plane,” I thought, as the clock passed midnight and I continued my quest to accomplish everything on my list.

It’s incredible how much we can get done on a deadline. A few days before leaving for an extended period of time (especially the eve of), I’m the most productive version of myself. Is this you, too? 

It’s amazing to me that, when things are coming right down to the wire, we suddenly find we have a capacity that is far greater than when we had plenty of time. Like an NFL football team that gets the ball back when down by 6 points and a minute left to play, we move into a different mode.

It’s all about the sense of urgency. 

When something needs to get done – today – we’re forced to use the time allotted. We have no time to waste thinking about what we could or should have done to avoid the urgency. There’s no time to obsess over trivial details. 

Urgency creates a mindset that maximizes efficiency by placing us in the present moment, making only those decisions that move us forward. 

Most of the time, urgency is created by external or circumstantial deadlines. Your boss drops a project on your desk that must be completed by the end of the week. Or you’re leaving for vacation in two days, and you suddenly realize the report you need to submit isn’t going to write itself. 

Due dates drive us to action because there are stakes. Things can’t be left undone. If they are, it reflects poorly on us, and that in itself is a galvanizing factor – nobody wants to drop the ball with other people depending on us. 

However, deadlines don’t have to be external. Self-imposed deadlines can drive the same kind of productivity. I’m always fascinated by the number of things I complete prior to leaving on a trip that really don’t even have to be completed before I leave. Merely attaching an artificial deadline to the task motivates me to complete it within the desired timeframe.

This is an incredibly powerful concept. Once you unlock it – how to set and orient your activity around self-imposed deadlines, it’s like a new source of fuel for your goals and aspirations. Deadlines are a very effective way to tap into that sense of urgency and drive things forward. 

How do you react when you have an important deadline? What feelings drive you to push yourself when it’s crunch time? How can you harness that same energy and use it to grow in all aspects of your life?

If you don’t do it already, incorporate self-imposed deadlines into your lifestyle. Develop the habit of setting deadlines for yourself, and use those deadlines to drive action. Start small, if necessary. Each time you experience the satisfaction of accomplishing tasks within your desired timeframe, your ability and confidence to do so will increase. 

Drive action with deadlines, and experience the difference this can make in your personal productivity… and in your life!