Member-only story
Why Every Creative Should Make Friends With Deadlines
They’ll help you accomplish more, faster
I used to struggle with deadlines.
I thought writers and anyone engaged in creative work had no business using a calendar or managing their time. I wrote articles when I felt like at a schedule that suited me. That was fine until I started getting paid to write.
I quickly found out editors don’t like (and won’t rehire writers who ship their stories or work late.
On editor pulled me aside and said, “A writer who doesn’t turn in their stories on time isn’t a professional. I can only work with professionals.”
I learn the hard way that creative work is kind of like water.
It’s fluid, messy and unpredictable. Lots of creative people procrastinate, put tasks off and offer excuses. Or before a due date, they fuel up on Red Bull, pull an all-nighter and stagger over the finish line.
Sure you could work on a creative project until dawn, but why risk missing your deadline, disappointing clients and turning into a bleary-eyed monster?
Other artists genuinely believe they can finish their work on time only to frustrate their fans with a missed deadline, as any George RR Martin fans knows.
