Ampersand Answers: Working With Deadlines

I don't need time. What I need is a deadline.

Duke Ellington, jazz pianist, composer, and conductor  

The Question: 

How can I set and honor my own deadlines?  

&mpersand Answers: 

Isn’t that a great insight on the Duke’s part? I think so. You know, just as there are souls who work best with accountability partners, there are also souls who, given a deadline, have the potential to make miracles. 

One of the great illusions we hold collectively about creativity is that we need buckets of unscheduled time to waft around in before the muse will strike us. I beg to differ. A deadline is a far more effective motivator for me. 

But what kind of creator are you? Have you ever stopped to think about it? 

One of the primary things I tell young artists who ask my advice is: know your own creative process. If you need blocks of time to swan around in, God love you, then make them. Me? I’d rather have 20 intense minutes than an afternoon of swanning any day. 

Not surprisingly, people generally hold some level of antipathy for the notion of deadlines. I think it’s because of where the word comes from. It refers to a line drawn by a soldier for a firing squad. Um, yeah? I’ll pass on that context. How about you? 

So instead, I prefer timelines. Be reasonable with yourself. In my 20 intense minutes, I am simply not going to write a whole novel, am I? Of course not. But I sure could scribble a whole plotline for one. 

What a deadline/timeline does is put the Universe on notice that you’re looking for inspiration by a particular time for a particular purpose. Good enough.  

Now whether you “make” your deadline or not, when it arrives, stop and take stock. You’ll be surprised at how much you’ve accomplished. Then make another one. 

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