We all need deadlines in order for work to get done. Urgency is a necessity.
However, different people handle deadlines differently. Some will finish ahead of schedule with buffer room because they can’t handle a looming unfinished task.
Who are these people? They’re the ones that will show up at an appointment, meeting, or dinner at least 15 minutes early. The fire lit under their butts burns hottest immediately upon the assignment of the task. These people can’t rest until it’s done.
Some work best under pressure and will procrastinate until the night before the assignment is due to start. They’ll pull an all nighter and squeak in the submission with seconds left to go like a movie bomb being diffused. The fire here burns hottest right before the deadline.
And finally we have the last group of people who are perpetual deadline breakers. They’re the ones that you tell them dinner is starting 30 minutes before the actual reservation, and they’re STILL later than everyone else. The fire lit under their butts burn hottest after the deadline.
So which one are you? When does the fire burn hottest? Recognize your working patterns and set your “deadlines” accordingly!