Ignore Deadlines as They Are Completely Artificial

As we go through a third year of crisis, be it health, geopolitics or economics, we are all bombarded with digital stimuli and distracting information. We are also becoming more reactive in the way we process information and decide about general matters. This is in part explained by the enormous level of mental stress and financial changes we have all faced in the recent past.

In this short article, I will be provocative, advocating for a counter-intuitive approach to reach abundance, success and mental faintness. I will argue that we should ignore the noise, and most importantly we should stop thinking about deadlines as the majority of them are completely irrelevant and not useful to our overall growth and success.

Deadlines are completely artificial, and they rarely lead to the consequences they threaten to cause. I make this bold statement as we all seem distracted by irrelevant commitments that don’t move the needle of our success and do not teach us anything. What I mean by ignoring deadlines, is to stay focused on what counts, and don’t let the self-imposed deadlines distract you from what is essential to get a bit further on reaching our daily goals. There are essential deliverables which are those that we should focus on and which push us further on our personal and financial growth, and then everything else which we should ignore. As I argued in my social media channels, silence is a powerful tool to master decision making and to maximize focus and thus to set only winning deadlines. Staying silent and being less reactive to all the inputs we receive, will allow us to remove enormous amounts of irrelevant information from our lives that is distracting. Other people’s deadlines, and emergencies are often just a distraction. Learn to filter those and make a list of people you should not pay attention to. I know that this may be a tough decision, but don’t be afraid to implement it as it will increase your level of focus.

To be able to focus on the “transformative” deliverables you need to become selective and use NO more systematically when you get offered to start a new project, get invited to a new meeting, or to a networking event. The more selective you become, and the more you focus on the action that really matters, the better you become at measuring your daily progress and constraints. Putting on the “shutters” kills all the noise around you as this will enable you to set “winning deadlines” for yourself and for your team.

Use your instinct to determine what deadlines are real

Instead of adding deadlines on all tasks that get in your way, I am a big fan of using my instincts to create only deadlines where we can tangibly see financial, or happiness, immediate returns. In other words, if an action does not make you richer and happier, let go of it. For instance, I prioritize deadlines where other team members or people in my community are depending on my delivery date. Before even deciding on a deadline or on a delivery date, I try to anticipate the chain-reaction and the incremental positive momentum that a specific action will take. If my assessment indicates positive returns on an action, I generate a deadline and put in all the work I need to set actions into motion to maximize the expected returns.

Set and meet deadlines that are critical for others to deliver on their commitment only when it helps you accomplish your long-term goals both financially and emotionally. Let go of everything else.