Douglas Adams said, “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” (See http://www.pimpyourwork.com/deadlines/) To quote myself, “A deadline becomes truly real when there is a clear commitment on the part of the service provider and a clear expectation on the part of the service recipient.” (See http://www.lulu.com/content/1178752) Although Adams’ comment has more zing to it than mine, are whooshing deadlines real?
If you don’t sacrifice anything when a deadline is missed (including something important like your dignity), the deadline is just a date about as important as keeping track of the anniversary of the third time you took your dog to the vet. Likewise, if the person waiting on your work only gave you the date because they wanted to make sure you’re doing something, the deadline is also arbitrary.
You need true commitment on your part and clear acceptance on your customer’s part for a deadline to be valid. When these valid deadlines go by, there isn’t a whooshing sound, but more of a dull thud.
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