Life on a Deadline

If there's one term telecommuters are familiar with, it's the word "deadline." This is the point at which "it" - whatever "it" is - absolutely, positively must be done. I'll admit I've had a problem with deadlines lately. Part of it is simply that I'm going through a little burn out. But it's mostly because I haven't been very good at budgeting my work and sleep lately.

Deadlines are important, if only to propel us forward. But due to the very nature of working from home, sometimes they just can't be met. And when that happens, we have to either cut ourselves a little slack by asking for an extension, or suffer the consequences of stress overload.

Some people thrive on a deadline. It's just the spark they need to motivate them. But sometimes, for sanity's sake, we have to pull the stop cord and get off the bus. We have to give ourselves permission to not be perfect.

The older I get, the more I realize I'm not going to accomplish everything I want to accomplish. There just isn't time. Much better, I think, to focus on those things that are really important, and let the rest fall where it may.