Avocado Deadlines

Avocados.  One of nature's superfoods.  Firm exterior protecting a soft, pulpy interior.  In the middle of it all, a hard pit just waiting to be removed.  Pound for pound, one of the healthiest foods you can give to your body.

Deadlines.  One of nature's superfears.  Firm exterior with little to protect our soft, pulpy egos.  In the middle of it all, a hard pit in our stomachs waiting to be removed.  But it doesn't need to be this way.  In fact, pound for pound, deadlines can be one of the healthiest habits you can give to your mind.

As professional writers, we may shy away from firm deadlines.  For example, the editor I'm working with for my new novel told me she feels deadlines stifle creativity.  Without deadlines though, we overlook the power of our mind to hone our abilities.  When I have a deadline, I know the end in sight, I focus my mind, and I create a plan to get there.  Without a deadline, I'm wandering like the little leaguer in left field picking daisies.

My advice is to seek deadlines, not only for yourself but of other people.  Humans have a terrible habit of mentally creating expectations but not sharing them with others.  When someone else doesn't come through, we're disappointed.  When you send a correspondence, avoid using phrases like "please return my call ASAP" or "get back to me when you can."  Ambiguity will turn to your mental deadline for that person not being reached. Be straightforward with them and produce a reasonable date.  At least you then have a timetable to work with.  If it needs to be a firm, avocado skin deadline, so be it.  But if it has room to be a softer and pulpier, your correspondent will know that as well.  In this way, your mental expectations match up with your spoken expectations.

Seek the same discipline for yourself.  Ask for deadlines from your editors if they don't provide them.  Set deadlines for yourself.  Allow your mental expectations for yourself match up with your verbalized expectations.  

Today's your day.  Set some firm, avocado skin deadlines, let them ripen, and when the time is right, complete them and cut them from your planner. Eliminate the pit in the middle of your stomach and enjoy the sweet taste of a job well done.

~Scott Heydt

"Live, Learn, Teach"

www.scotthbooks.com

http://scotthbooks.blogspot.com