
The word deadline has its American origin in the Civil War prison camps. Instead of a physical perimeter, there would often be an imaginary line, 'The Deadline’, that the prisoners were not to cross.
Our current use of the word isn’t too far from its origin. Today we often use deadlines, real and imaginary, to imprison ourselves.
I like to challenge myself and clients with the question: “Am I focused on the right deadlines?”
What happens when you receive an email? Do we allow ourselves a reasonable deadline for a response, 24 hours or even later the same day? In reality many of us have created a self imposed deadline of responding instantly, irrespective of the task or activity we were engaged in before the email landed.
How about a text message or social media alert? Have we created the same self imposed deadline of delivering an instant response?
As a parent to two daughters, I am constantly reminded by other parents about how fast children grow up. A critical deadline that I strive to retain focus on is when they leave home and “fly the nest”, potentially in their late teens.
Am I focused on maximising every moment as a parent before that deadline lands or am I allowing other self imposed deadlines to distract my focus?
What about the ultimate deadline? We all have one quite literal deadline - when we die. Do we impose deadlines on ourselves for the enhancement of our physical or mental health? Or are these deadlines postponed or missed so we can focus on other deadlines like responding to that work email that just landed?
What deadlines will you focus your energy on?
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