Deadlines and Whooshing sounds
The thing I like best about deadlines is the whooshing sound they make when they go by.
I sure wouldn't want to be in the contracting business where I had to estimate how long a job would take and then quote a price for doing the work. I would go broke in a heartbeat.
Why Projects Take Longer Than Expected
It seems that everything I do takes way longer than I think it will.
Some projects never get completely finished. I finally just have to give up and run with it even though I know I could work on it a little longer and make it better. For example, any book or article I write can always be tweaked (and hopefully improved) one more time and that could go on forever.
The Two Things that Help me Get Things Done
I have a friend who has the phrase "Done Trumps Everything" posted on the side of her computer monitor. There's a lot of truth in that saying. How many unfinished projects do you have sitting around? I have that saying posted on the side of my monitor also to keep reminding me of what Larry the Cable Guy says, "Get-R-Done."
Yes, "Done Trumps Everything" and " Get-R-Done" are the two things that are responsible for most of my projects ever getting finished.
I have to keep reminding myself that I make a lot more money from one book that's published and available for purchase on Amazon than I do from three that are almost finished.
I find that I get a lot more done when I have a To-do list when I start my day. I also sleep a lot better if I write the list before I go to bed. That way I don't have to constantly be thinking all night about the things I want to do the next day and I won't be worried that I will forget to do something.
I'm Glad I Can't be Fired
Even with a list, I sometimes look back at the end of the day at what I've actually accomplished and think, "What if I had an employee I paid for a day's work and they told me that this is all they accomplished for the day". I might fire them. I'm glad I can't be fired.
One last point: Sometimes it's good to take a break and forget about deadlines. Just enjoy your surroundings. That's what it looks like the girl in this picture is doing:
Bottom line: What projects are you working on, and what techniques have you found that are the most successful at making you productive? Post your comments in the Discussion Forum.