Progress vs Panic

I was looking over my writing schedule for 2018 and panic began to set in. Already. I’m approaching a deadline, and I don’t feel ready. I’m not on track. I’m going to miss the holy, all-powerful date.

Obviously I’m a horrible person and an absolute failure.

So that was my train of thought. Very quickly, you can see it went sour.
Why am I doing this to myself?

I’ve always set aggressive deadlines and then nearly killed myself trying to make them, usually unable to, suffering more and more self-criticism and anxiety as the deadlines slip by. Sometimes I actually make the dates, but do I feel happy and successful and accomplished? No. I usually head right on to the next stressful time-crunch.

I’m going to do it differently for a couple years. No more deadlines.

Yeah, you heard me. None.

 (total disclosure: this is a lie. in 2019 I give myself more deadlines–as if that will motivate me–when in truth, I am hiding from the character I know I must write. Until then, let’s pretend I have no intention of brow-beating myself to achieve goals). 

Instead of playing the cycle-game of procrastination and self-loathing, I am abolishing all deadlines. Instead, I will have No Zero days.

I heard of the No Zero concept a couple of times of Tim Ferriss’ And Johanna Penn’s podcasts. The idea is to do something toward the goal every day. Every day, something. That’s a heck of a lot more manageable!

While it sounds like I’ll be kicking back in a hammock somewhere, I expect it won’t work out that way. I’m developing better habits already. I’m going to the gym regularly, drinking less, conducting more research, and focusing on the business more. Hopefully all these positive pushes will result in a productive and healthy year. Maybe I’ll even get fewer headaches. 

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