Sep 18
Deadlines kill inspiration
2007 at 08.19 am posted by Veerle
Picture this: you are sitting along the river in beautiful surroundings creating what’s bound to be your best work yet and you aren’t feeling pressured. Sounds lovely, isn’t it? Too bad it isn’t reality. Now there seems to be an almost impossible deadline around every corner.
Deadlines
I sometimes feel that as a designer we are the last one in the chain and we have to make up for all other delays that were created along the way. Another situation is that the design is the first phase of the process and you are obligated to do your job within a very fixed time frame otherwise you jeopardize the whole production process. I think we all have had this question "We just found out that we only have like a week to get this done". I know it's part of the job and it has become an industry standard. I personally don't find it very easy to manage the workload and keep everything in balance so that all clients are satisfied at the end of the ride.
Timing and planning
These days I have trouble to set a date when a potential client ask me 'when can you start on the job?'. This question is asked to me on a regular basis. The problem is that I can't give them a solid answer, because I can't look into the future of 2 months ahead. Some current projects might last longer then I estimated, especially bigger ones. Also, there are several people asking me this and I can't estimate which project will go ahead eventually. It might be 2, but it might as well be 10. I hate it when I say for example somewhere in the beginning of November, they wait for about 6 or 8 weeks, then they come back to me asking me if we can start on the job and I have to say, sorry but I need another 2 or 3 weeks. That's something I really hate, but unfortunately it's something unavoidable because there are too many variable factors that come with the job. I'm not installing kitchens here :) My production time is never fixed or easy to predict precisely, certainly not so far ahead in time.
Working at an accelerated schedule
I sometimes have the feeling that some clients seem to have an idea in their mind that being a designer is just pressing some buttons on the computer and 'voilà' a work of art is born. If only it was that easy! Designing to me isn't something that can be automated to reach the maximum production. It's an unpredictable mindset that some days works well and other days it's just procrastinating and staring at an empty canvas. When this happens I usually switch to another project where less creativity is needed. This way I don't lose any production time. However, if the job is urgent I just take a break. Inspiration and stress doesn't bode well for me. Being relaxed is the best catalyst for getting inspired.
Learn to say no
To me one of the hardest things is to say 'no' to a job. There are several reasons why saying no is sometimes the best answer. First of all you can only do what you can do within a certain time frame. Even if the offer is great, it's sometimes just impossible to accept the job and its deadline. A great part of our job is finding ideas and inspiration and this is so unpredictable. I'm always struggling to give the client a timeline if they ask me to. Most of the time it's a bit of a gamble. Luckily I have my years of experience and I can base my estimates on that. I always mention that the estimate timing depends on how fast I get feedback and how many revision work will be needed, because this is a part you just don't know.
Rushing comes at a price
Maybe I am not realistic, but I never wanted to own a design shop that spits out several websites on a daily basis. When I would do this I would lower our standards and work would become mediocre at best. My motto is always to keep the bar as high as possible. My thinking is along these lines: it must be a worthy addition to the portfolio otherwise there isn't personal satisfaction. That's very important because I strongly believe you have to feel good about yourself to create something strong. This post was triggered by an e-mail I got from Lisa Mikulski who wrote about it in a post called 'Tomorrow is not always an option'. She has some very good points:
- The designer will have to bump another client's work to do yours. A successful design firm, or designer working freelance, will often set up queues for work and continually asking for a "cut" in the queue is simply not fair.
- If the designer is rushed, quality work can be compromised.
- Clients need to understand that the computer fairies don't come down and do magic. In creating an ID or in making a design there is a certain amount of time required for the designer to conceptualize your project. This is the creative aspect that you are paying for.
- Designers need to rest and refresh too. In doing so, we are better able to provide you with fresh ideas, and quality service.
All points that ring very close to home. I like to think we are very flexible in working long days and most weekends, but such a thing can't go on for ever and it comes at a price if I do. That price is burn out and that's neither good for the designer or the client. It's not that I don't like deadlines. They are great sometimes, but what I am trying to say is that it sometimes happens that we're not able to come up with something good at the given timeline. My point is that being a designer is not as easy as it sounds, it's a constant battle in trying to get inspired and dealing with deadlines that are more often than not a factor that isn't helping. Luckily most clients get that, but hopefully the one that doesn't will understand it better now.
45served
1
That’s a early start this morning Veerle. Nice article.
2
Gosh! You are so right! I really hate deadlines.
3
I follow you so much on that one. I’ve often asked myself why it was easier to work on my own projects instead of customer’s. I thought that it sometimes came from the aim and subject of the project but it was false. It’s just that I have an unlimited time for myself that I don’t have for customers. I tried to think of a solution for my work (my studies end in 6 months) to avoid such situations but even motivated and impassioned, the problem remains as the whole industry works this way.
Anyway, I don’t feel like changing the whole industry process then I think we just have to notice and be happy when feel customers feel like waiting to have a beautiful, creative and inspired product for tomorrow instead of having something not so fun for yesterday :)
4
Yeap, I’m relatively early in my career and I really struggle with bosses and clients who don’t get design.
It’s not a formula you can reproduce on a predictable timescale. To produce good work requires a new approach every time, and that ‘takes as long as it takes’. Which isn’t something you can get away with saying outloud very often.
5
I always say to customers that I’m fast, cheap and good… and that they must pick 2 and won’t have the other.
They want it good and cheap? No problem, but it won’t be fast…
Want it fast and good? It’ won’t be cheap…
6
I love this post. Veerle, keep it up.
7
Rutje said:
I read that one once before and this formula is so right!
But I work as an Art Director in a marketing and communication agency so there are only two factors I can choose from: fast and good. Invoices and payments are processed by another section of the company.
And so it happend…
After two years of working I broke down. Working 12 hours a day at high speed was killing me. I wanted to quit, my motiviation and inspiration were gone and I even wanted to stop designing! I went to my boss and we discussed the matter for a whole day. Now I stop earlier every day and that made a huge difference. I don’t feel like a machine anymore. I have some time for my own things now and that refreshes me a lot.
8
You are absolutely right. Deadlines can kill the creativity for a work, but I think this is the common reality, maybe we could explain some of these problems to our client directly on our sites, so that they can read that it’s not a lie we say to them privately, but a true fact that regards all our clients!
I’d wish to have a day with 40 hours ahahhaha
9
It’s very important to stop at times, take a vacation try something different create something with your hands, or you will get burned. No is the answer you must stay focused and not greedy or you will start hating your work. I even thinking change my work to something completely different and work web and dtp at my spare time in order to avoid losing the love for design.
10
It’s like you’re in my brain Veerle. I think the toughest part is knowing when to really push back on a client who wants to jump the queue (I get that a lot) and when to even say no, or let go of a client. I’ve had to turn down projects and let go of a client… while it was not easy, and the need for money was always there and very tempting, these were certainly good decisions for me, and gave me the breathing room to do better work for my other clients.
11
Pardon me for being the party pooper here, but I simply cannot identify with this sentiment critical of deadlines. Constraint is the primary factor in turning what we do into design, and deadlines are a valuable and very necessary constraint in our work. Professionals must be comfortable with deadlines or they’re not behaving very professionally.
Actually, it is very clear to me that it is not deadlines that you (Veerle) and others commenting here have a problem with, but rather poor business practices and inadvisable choices (and, certainly, bad clients). As a professional designer, you’ve got a fairly clear idea of what time will be required by you to accomplish a given project …and you have a fairly clear idea of how to stack up your project queue so that there is minimal interference between projects. Given this, it is up to you or your project manager to ensure that the client is contractually bound to abide by this schedule and that when they don’t there are consequences that are clearly defined in the contract(s).
Client misbehavior aside, hitting a deadline is not an option; it’s a must-do. Every time. A designer who has a casual relationship with deadlines is an unprofessional designer. That’s not the deadline’s fault. Yes, circumstances arise occasionally that necessitate too much work required in a given time, but missing a deadline is not the way to deal with that issue.
A deadline is our friend. A deadline is what allows us to remain productive and to demonstrate our competence and responsibility. If it’s not possible or if it is entirely too uncomfortable for a designer to regularly hit deadlines, it speaks of irresponsibility, poor choices, and a badly-run business (I’m speaking generally here, not specifically with regard to anyone involved in this article or comments).
Love and respect your deadlines and your clients will respect you ...and come back to you next time they need design work.
12
Thank you so much for posting this. It’s the most stressful thing I have to deal with in our business.
Especially when you aren’t an agency with a full team working for you, it’s difficult to give precise start and end times.
We recently had a client who dragged their feet for weeks. Then, when the client was finally ready, we were obviously in the trenches of some other projects and couldn’t produce on demand for the client. They got really antsy and frustrated at us for ‘our delays’ (even though it was because they dragged their feet so much!) so we hustled to accommodate the client. Then? They paid late. Like 3 months late.
The clients I love the most are those who understand that our most creative and effective work comes when we are given some time and space. Some people say they work better under pressure, but I honestly work better with fluidity. Not because I procrastinate, but that extra time helps better ideas evolve and allows for other projects to ebb and flow.
13
I remember a situation one member of team I was involved in, had a few weeks before.
A client came up to him to design an identity. He had very specific demands, a long list to say the least. The designer said it wouldn’t take anything less than 3 weeks to reply to him with the first drawings.
The client started a discussion and closed the debate with something like: “It’s no brain-surgery, right? It’s only some lines in colors you put on a paper?”
Two days later he returned to his client with his map. He presented his client’s “new identity”. All he did was put some lines on a paper. Every paper had the same amount of lines, but in different colors. “ ‘Cause in the end, that’s all you asked me to do, right?”
14
I think Andy was right on with his comment that unreasonable deadlines are only a symptom of a failed business process elsewhere. Unreasonable deadlines kill inspiration… reasonable deadlines can be powerful impetus for creative work! As Merissa Mayer (Google UI VP) said, “Creativity loves constraint.”
15
Hello! Thank you so much for this blog! I thought I was the only one (ha yeah right) who felt this way about deadlines and having numerous jobs at once! I found out that doing something you love for a living can sometimes kill your relationship with that thing (in my case illustration).
I tried my hand at freelancing but the short deadlines, constant revisions from the clients, and typically boring subject matter, really got me down about illustrating in general. So I’ve decided to go into web design, something my art skills will be beneficial but I’m not truly in love with it.
I know that sometimes people believe that you shouldn’t go into something you aren’t passionate about because you might not produce your best efforts, but I believe you shouldn’t kill your love of something by doing it for a living (if it is killing your love for that thing).
Anyway, thank you also for saying it’s ok to say “no” to a job. Being a newbie at freelancing I said “yes” to everything. I didn’t ask how much I’d be paid for the job upfront either. I think I have been used and abused because of this but I was so afraid I’d get a bad rep or no future work if I said no to anyone.
16
You are right.
I don’t like working with urgent projects. Deadline badly affect to the quality of the project. If I will be able enlarge schedule time - it will be better for me and for my client. Finally my client will be thoroughly satisfied.
17
I think speed in our modern culture is a sign of spiritual dis-ease. We simply cannot wait anymore for anything. It has to be done now or we immediately lose patience and/or interest. And not only do we want it NOW, we expect ourselves and others to multi-task - do it ALL and RIGHT NOW.
It’s a ridiculous expectation to put on yourself. I like challenges but I don’t play the game expecting to be some sort of super-being.
And when you expect yourself to be an instantaneous supra-being multi-tasking magnificent masterpieces every single moment, then the disease expands and you begin to expect - no, demand - *others* be the same way. And thus the mania propagates itself.
A sane person knows how to say no any not participate in the mad fad for instant results. It’s a chain reaction. If everyone rushes we all spiral out of control. If one person refuses to participate, he or she breaks the chain and gives others permission to slow down.
This insistence on instant gratification is why the template industry is rampant in the business of web design. Why wait when you can have a great design with your content and logo in just one week?
Just say no to speed and aggression!
18
Andy, I agree with you that deadlines are a necessity, and it does reflect our competence in the field.
I also agree with Veerle that with difficult clients who they themselves don’t adhere to the given time-line or those who believe that design should be instant, it puts a designer in a position where they cannot meet or specify a clear-cut deadline.
I personally value deadlines very strongly, and when I fail to meet one, I feel that I have not only let my client down, but weakened my professional standards.
My biggest problem is predicting how long a project will take me. If I knew how to identify all the possible set-backs and how long it takes for all the elements of the project to get completed, then I could establish an accurate deadline. and always meet it.
I very often tend to under-estimate the time it would take to get a project done. This is usually what causes me to miss a deadline.
Recently, I have decided that this problem had to be solved. I discovered that I tend to want to please the customer with fast turnarounds. This actually is the root of the problem. By giving them the impression that the project can be done in a short time, they assume the work is an easy one. Then next time they come and expect the same speedy delivery. They treat me as if my work were a mere click of the mouse and de-values the design industry as a whole.
By indicating that a project will take some time, the right time, and cannot be done in a shorter time, for the quality, then the client learns that there is real serious work involved.
I think, for all of us to be comfortable with deadlines, we need to become better estimators of time, and we all need to also slow down a little. If your work is really good, and you need to work a little slower than others, you should sell yourself on quality. I don’t believe there is anything wrong in working slow. If a client comes to me with a rush job, and I know I don’t like that sort of work, I tend turn it down.
It’s about establishing your standards. Do you like to rush and work like a nut-case? If not, turn it down, it’s not worth it.
19
Andy Rutledge said:
That’s really well said, and I completely agree with you to a certain point. Maybe with my somewhat misleading title you might get the impression that I rather hate deadlines, but that’s not the case. What I hate are the unreasonable ones or when I can’t plan things properly or if things didn’t proceed as planned. In most circumstances these are caused by events out of my control.
When that happens I sometimes get the feeling that I’m drowning, just because I have to deal with too many projects at the same time. All of them need the same care and quality. I’m almost loosing the overview of all things that go on at the same time. This drives me nuts and stresses me out :)
I think, just like you, that projects need deadlines. You need to set a time frame, even if it’s only just as a guidance. Deadlines need to be doable and reasonable that’s all. It isn’t as black and white as you said above, because the big difference is in what you make here. If you do the minimalist look it’s rather easy to have something out fast but when you need to draw a whole set of illustrations/icons it becomes something else all together. I strongly believe it’s sometimes better to go beyond the deadline and leave the work for a bit when I am not 100% behind it. So it depends where you set your standards. It happened more then once when I picked it up again I created something much better. That reasoning doesn’t make me an unprofessional designer in my humble opinion. I’m picky and hard on myself on what I show and that’s a good thing. So catching a deadline just for the sake of it with work you aren’t 100% behind isn’t making you a pro. What’s a few days when it turns out so much better. Of course the client knows this and it has been discussed.
Luckily most deadlines are reasonable and sometimes I get the luxury to choose them myself. If I do I always try to accommodate the client and don’t take advantage of it.
20
Hiya,
First of all an excellent write up. Whilst it may not be true for everyone it has very valid points for everyone to learn from I believe.
Myself I am both a graphic designer (own business - nights time) and a Commercial Producer (Radio adverts) during the day.
The way I deal with this kind of thing is I will be totally honest with clients and let them know that there is no possible way of letting them know my diary 2-3 months in advance.
If they have a job that they need doing that they know about then they really should just come to you when they need it or when they have passed all their budgets etc…
I have had to turn down jobs in the past for this exact reason and I am actually glad that I did. The clients still came back to me again as I was honest with them. It also (I believe) could help them out to get their act more in to gear because I can never understand why a client will come to you and say we have this job we need doing but then they say they don’t need it for quite a while!!!
If they have something that needs doing then it needs doing and the sooner the better I always say!
It’s best if you can get clients and Agencies etc. to understand this as they can’t expect you to put a date in your diary that far into the future and then the job may never even come off whilst in the meantime you could have booked other jobs into the space. That is just not on!
Well rant over. Just my thoughts on the process.
Again Veerle an excellent write up.
Best wishes,
Mark
21
Not necessarily. Anyone can fill a page if they throw tons of useless boxes and words into it. Paring down to just the necessary elements and maintaining a good design aesthetic is neither easier nor faster.
Remember the Mark Twain quote?: “I apologize that this letter is so long. I did not have the time to make it short.”
22
Marla said:
I think you know what I mean here and maybe my explanation didn’t come out right. I was referring to a site that just has text, no icons, no illustration, no finishing touches, just text and whitespace. I can make such a site a lot faster because it’s just placement and typography that you have to worry about. I’m just saying that it is *easier and faster* to build several of those against a deadline then a more graphical one. Not to be disrespectful or anything, I like that style too but it’s not as hard to me personally.
23
I couldn’t more readily agree!
I work for newspaper, and creative thinking takes 5th place to everything else, talk about frustrating, especially when you take the time to do something really creative and it gets canned for something they want you to copy from their ‘word’ document......argh!
24
Deadlines are probably the most stressful part of being a designer for me, so I really appreciate this article. I try to give flexible deadlines for both me and the client, but as all designers know, no job is ever the same. Like you mentioned, I’m really upfront with clients at the beginning to let them know that the timeline is dependent on how fast they get back to me and approve revisions or provide content, and that it’s not just about how long it will take me to do the actual work.
I also find that sometimes when you give a deadline, no matter how thorough you think you’ve been in covering all the details at the beginning, the scope of the project changes and can totally disrupt your deadlines or start dates that you’ve set for other clients.
25
Your post is still ringing in my ears!
My timeline on projects has extended beyond a period I feel comfortable with. I am now telling new clients the beginning of 08 which at that point I will contact them and hopefully will be able to do the projects I have committed to but I am a one person shop partnered with an incrediable programmer who does does my CMS, ecomm, and back end infastructure.
I am finding the commitments I have and the demands and deadlines are quite a stress fracture on my life and effect my creativity and the time I would like to spend on any given project but can’t considering the volume.
Also exisiting clients are always wanting to add a new scope to their site intruding on my new designs and it is very difficult to juggle the old and new clients and keep deadlines.
I have quite deadlines ahead of me beginning on October 1st and wish I could forgo sleeping and just keep working but I need my sleep and my five mile walk daily to keep my sanity and keep my head clear to keep going on.
My site is in desparate need of redoing (vintage 03) and hopefully next year I will be able to address it but constant client demands isn’t helping.
Their lack of planning or immediate need cannot send my life into a tailspin which I have been trying to communicate in the most diplomatic way possible but I am not sure they always understand.
Anyways, I absolutely love your blog :)
thanks for this post, at least I am not alone
- melissa
26
Learning to say no is indeed the most important thing. Also as designer or developer, keeping your own portfolio/blog/news up to date is also pretty important.
27
Really nice and true that deadline is effect on our creativity. Even I hate deadline in designing work. I think if you spent more time on design you will get more ideas and also you can deliver best quality.
28
I am just wrapping up a project that took far more time than I estimated and that is because the client was so difficult. I am now considering dropping him as a client, which is not good for business. You’re article was a great read on a day like today.
29
I am at the point where that if I am rushed, obviously the project ends up not looking as well as I’d like it to, I end up not even wanting to work on it anymore, which makes the end result even worse!
30
Veerle said:
Unless you’re a web site developer, and you’re making up for the extra time a designer took in the face of a deadline :)
31
Imagine if Da Vinci had a deadline to meet aside from death. We would not be blessed with none of his great works. Inspiration takes time
32
Or the writer brought in at the last minute because no-one thought about content until the day after launch…
Thanks for the article, Veerle. I’m still in the early stages of working for myself, so I’m desperately trying to both impress clients and pay the bills with whatever work I can get. I’ve just had a rush of work on at the end of a very quiet period - so I need to re-fill the emergency coffers a bit - and I’m working 15-16 hour days at the moment to meet deadlines. You’ve just reaffirmed what came to me last night - that while I should do what I can to meet deadlines and finish things off, the client has some responsibility to provide the information I need in a timely fashion. If the resource I need to write half the pages on the site hasn’t arrived until the day before the deadline, there’s no way I can achieve it.
33
I really liked the bit about learn to say no. I used to work freelance and it took me a couple of years to learn to turn work down. By taking on everything I ended up working all day and then all evening for about 2 years. I hardly got to see my kids or my wife.
Fast forward 2 years and I discovered life was a lot easier (and my work a lot better) when I started to be more picky about the work I did.
34
Very good article, and it is obvious that you understand your limitations, too which is important for anyone at any stage of the process. I agree with saying no to something if you know you don’t have the time to accomplish it in the right way, and being creative isn’t something that fits into a 9 - 5 schedule necessarily, either. It seems that being a freelancer though should afford you the right and opportunity to say to the potential clients that you are very busy, but will contact them at some point in the future, if it is within a reasonable time frame, that they could wait. That way, you won’t turn away potential clients, but you are honest with them about your currrent schedule. Maybe you can establish a waiting list of some kind—if your work is popular enough, then they might be willing to wait until you can take on their project.
Anyway, thanks for the insightful post. Sometimes educating the client on what they need to expect of designers too might be an option. It is amazing though you are able to turn out what you do, and are as industrious to still have time for the blog, etc.
35
Mark said:
Those were my thoughts exactly. I worked for an agency for a few years and the last in the queue was always production.
Rarely did design fit within the allocated time budget and rarely did the production get their allocated time to build a site.
Usually the outcome was shoddy quality. I am sure some agencies have a great process and do it right. However, I found freelancing and having a few key people to work with is much more effective in maintaining the high aesthetic while hitting the necessary deadlines.
What motivates me most are deadlines - it’s just a matter of setting internal deadlines for yourself that give you a little bit of padding for actual deadlines.
Either way, it’s a good topic to post on and hopefully some of those who don’t “get it” will stumble on this article and find enlightenment. While those of us who are your regular readers will just say, “thank you.”
36
I totally agree with this, speed can compromise on the creativity and design. If there is no definite plan to follow. So we sometimes resort scheduling tasks that needs to be done in a timely manner.
I really hate deadlines when they are near, and always feel worried about how my work gives a lasting impression to clients.
premade library of designs such as pictures, backgrounds, graphics and other web tools can save you time, once you think what you’re doing. Sometmes starting from scratch can give new life to design projects for all of us who are working on, whether its freelance and working for another company.
These deadlines can give you important lessons of project management and handling how this process is going to the right goals for both client and designer.It makes me a better designer and enterpreneur at the same time.
37
As saying goes here in Croatia: There’s no such thing as tight deadline, it’s just client that is late.
38
Nothing annoys me more than clients that want something immediately and give you a deadline, but fall short when it comes time to make approvals and/or changes, and provide you–the designer–with the much needed content. When I read this article, there were so many points that I agree with. It calms my deadline-drained nerves to know that others out there are feeling my pain (although I’ve known this all along).
Clients seem to have this preconceived notion that the things we create are easy and quick. I’ve encountered a lot of people that will explain something that sounds like a piece of cake to them, but to the designer, it’s a complex request that requires more research than expected. The reason I bring this up was due to a recent client of mine that was bent on having a certain idea incorporated into a Flash header on his website that my boss and I just weren’t understanding (my client was dreadful at explaining the concept in his head. Of course that’s why they hire a designer–apparently we read minds also). I managed to get it done nonetheless. Some people just have that idea in there head that the computer does all of the work. Like we’re all just drones of web design.
I know all of you can agree with this though: for all of those deadlines we stress over and all of those original ideas we pride ourselves on trying to create and get out of our heads, the end result and the client’s appreciation (well, most of them), tends to pay off (along with a nice piece of paper with numbers on it, a signature and your business name. Otherwise referred to as a check). I had a client call me today to tell me that the aforementioned Flash header I (re) designed “wasn’t good”. This scared me at first, but it was shortly followed up with “...it’s brilliant!”. That completed my Friday. It’s at that moment when the deadline for that project is no longer a threat and your ideas were (eventually, in my case) triumphant. I don’t know about you but I live for that stuff.
39
I’ve often come here without commenting, usually for tips on Photoshop, but the site has a great design and topics as well. Thank you for sharing your insight. This article is great and also applies to life.
40
I agree totally. It’s not deadlines that are bad, but unreasonable ones that kill. I also think deadlines are essential, at least for me, to keep everything in order and progress in a sufficient manner, but I also find myself bending over backwards very often for clients who need things done yesterday.
I wonder if we should really make their unrealistic deadlines our problem? It seems to me that their lack of planning or organization or whatever it might be shouldn’t then turn into our problem later.
We’ve seriously started thinking about lengthening our turn around time even though it’s one of our best services and charging a rush fee on unrealistic deadlines. I’m also going to provide a more detailed timeline when we get new projects showing just how much time the client has to approve and provide feedback on each phase without delaying the deadline.
41
The question “When can you start this?” usual answer for me is “now”, I can really start anything by forgetting all the things I have to do and start researching “this”. But don’t ask me whether they will be done in the next few months or not. That’s the kind of not-professional designer that I represent, ____ly. (BadLY? HappiLY? I like the way I get things done here anyway, I am an immature)
That’s why I find deadline inspiring.
42
After reading this article, I wept. Thank you… snif, snif
43
Perfect article in perfect time when I’m leading battle against several projects. My solution: Have somebody who you can 100% trust and outsource him your job. It’s not the best solution, but It’s worth to have a friend when you’re really sinking in your jobs and projects.
BTW: The most common setting of time of a job order: Yesterday was already late. :-)
44
As a writer, I will disagree. Working against deadlines help me. I took part in the craziest deadline of all : the nanowrimo. Producing 50 000 words of fiction in a month is insane but without a deadline I would never have done it. And I can’t wait for the 2007 edition to start. Only 20 days left !
45
Goodness gracious what crawled up Andy Rutledge’s butt and died?
Sorry, Andy, but at the level of neurophysiology, when you dial up the anxiety levels, it is significantly harder to concentrate your attention in the parts of the brain responsible for creativity.
Your own ideology of project management has absolutely no bearing upon this process.
Daniel