One of the biggest (and this may seem strange to you) things that I miss about The Iron Yard is the pressure of deadlines.
Yes, you read that correctly. I miss not having something to build that is due by such and such a time. Sure, I’m glad I don’t have to build a new app every two or three days, because that can get rather hectic and stressful, I do however miss some other interesting things about having deadlines.
When I have a deadline I find that there is the distinct knowledge that I need to get this, this and this done today so I can set myself up to turn the final product in at 9 a.m. tomorrow morning. Having that line in the sand that needs to be met produces a frantic productivity that I’ve not been able to match since I’ve gotten home.
Having deadlines does wonders for me. Creating deadlines and holding myself to them is a bit difficult. I find that I do much better in actually reaching that deadline with a completed project if I am working with someone or if they are expecting me to hand over a finished piece of work.
I find it extremely hard to set deadlines for myself. I’m involved with so many things and my todo list is extremely long. (mine has 63 items on it) Dealing with the splintered cross-section of tasks that make up my day’s isn’t overly conducive to setting large deadlines, instead I’ve found some better success in setting small deadlines. (finish the emails by 2 p.m., write the blog post before 10 p.m., etc.)
However the hardest thing about deadlines is that there are so many things that pop up in my life. At any given time an issue can show up that may suddenly require 4 hours of work. Those 4 hours may need to happen immediately, or very quickly. I haven’t exactly figured this part of productivity out. It’s difficult, but it also keeps life interesting.
The other part of the title is the other way that deadlines can be missed. I really dislike when people schedule something with me or tell me they will be at such and such a place at such and such a time… and then fail to come through on what they said.
Deadlines are meant to be met. If you can’t meet them go ahead and let whoever is planning on you meeting that deadline know about it.
Speaking of deadlines. I need to go to bed. It’s a deadline.