Page 40 - December 2020 Voices

ON THE PATH

May I Borrow Your Deadline?

James Wantz, DTM

Want something done? Give it to someone who is done on time, then I don’t get paid - if I can’t bill

busy. Ok, that’s a total jerk move...but it does have for the work when I submit it to my customer,
truth. But why is it true? Well, that busy person then they don’t pay the invoices to the company...
in your life has deadlines. That’s it. Deadlines. and I don’t get paid! Talk about motivation!
Think about it. When did you ever just do One of my favorite authors, Douglas Adams,

something because you had all the time in the said, “I love deadlines. I love the whooshing
world and nothing pressing in any way? No, I noise they make as they go by.” Yeah, deadlines
don’t mean a nap. I mean a project. I mean the life must have teeth in order to be motivational. If
change that you’ve been wanting to do for years! there are no consequences, then deadlines are

I mean the speech or Path that you have been like little annoying birds that fly past you...and
talking about finishing. I mean the manuscript make a whooshing sound.
sitting on my desk (yes, this one is mine totally.) This column wouldn’t be here without one
Have you started it? I certainly haven’t. of those teethy deadlines. I don’t want an email

I have speeches I’ve never written. I have from my editor letting me know that I let her
projects that are languishing on my to do list. In down - nope! It’s worse than sad puppy dog
fact, I have projects that aren’t even on the list that eyes. It’s worse than not being paid (since this is
aren’t done...but I have them in my mind’s eye voluntary, that consequence has no bite). I was

as something I want to do. I have no deadlines, reminded of my deadline via email last night -
no timelines, just a whole lot of aspiration. I’d forgotten about writing this column until she
Conversely, I am super busy at work - projects reminded me that she needed it. Yipes!
are flying out the door (ok, via email) because That got me thinking very deeply about

they have deadlines. But it is not just deadlines the effectiveness of deadlines with teeth. In
that do the trick. No, these projects have all seriousness, I have a book that I have been
deadlines with consequences - ugh, I hate that writing on for years...and I haven’t finished it. I
word. It’s true though. If I don’t get the projects have three Paths that are at Level 5 that are not

40 ONE COMMUNITY