Deadlines are Your Friend

There are many things you can avoid in life, but deadlines aren’t one of them. They’re everywhere. When you’re in school, you have assignments and projects to finish in a certain amount of time. A little later in life, in your job (whatever it may be), not much changes. Sure, the specific role and responsibilities change, but you still have things to do and a specific timeframe to complete them.

Deadlines can be daunting. For some people, they can be overwhelming. Some people think of them as the enemies that they have to win against. You can think of them in a less threatening way. Deadlines can be challenges that pressures you to push yourself outside of your comfort zone. When you actually pass your comfort zone, you give yourself an opportunity to grow. 

If you use them to your advantage, deadlines can be your friend. They can help prevent you from taking forever to do something. If there’s something you’ve been meaning to do, give yourself a deadline to do it by. Even if you drag your heels up until the deadline, the deadline pushes you to finish on time. If it’s something serious, like paying a bill by its due date, preventing negative consequences is a huge motivator. 

Unless you take them seriously, deadlines are meaningless. If you don’t embrace them, you’re setting yourself up for failure. If you let them pass by, you’re letting your opportunities slip away. If there is one thing that you take away from reading this, it’s that deadlines matter. Stick to them.

Roderick Conwi writes about personal and professional development at Nourishment Notes. He is also the author of The Procrastinator's Quick Guide To Getting It Done. To get powerful insights to enhance your day, join his FREE newsletter.