Deadlines causing stress

How many times are you working to the last minute to achieve a project or piece of work?  This is probably the most common cause of the stress symptoms and it gets even more intense the closer you get to the deadline.

Besides for stress, what are the other outcomes

Besides for feelings of stress what are the other outcomes of this way of working?  Usually we end up pushing people away, sometimes harshly, as we try to concentrate, in some cases we miss our deadline and, more then likely, we end up working extra hours to get it done.

 What is worse is that we feel guilty because actually deep down we know that we left it to the last minute to do and this has caused the problem.  We may even have to apologise to loved ones, friends, or work colleagues for our abruptness.

This can be caused by procrastinating 

Now sometimes this is caused by procrastinating, but even though it can cause the problem, the reality is that the answer is probably more simple then that.

 Many of us are living our lives on the basis of working from the deadline backwards, rather then from the time it will take to the task forward.

Are you addicted to urgency? 

Sometimes we are addicted to the urgency that is associated with leaving everything to the last minute.  But this is not how God intended it, as Jesus reminded us, He came to give us Peace and as a past deadline junky I can assure you there is no peace in fighting to achieve our deadline.

 The other unforgiveable aspect of this is that we are also likely to let task that are more urgent push away the real important tasks that we should be concentrating on – like spending time with the family.

There is a cure 

What is the cure?  Well simple as it may seem, it is to do it as it comes in and not put it off.  Instead or working from the deadline backwards instead you plan to do the task as you get it.  In the short term it may mean working more to clear off the items that have reached their deadlines and also to do the new tasks as they come in, but the great joy is that within a few weeks there are no longer any tasks that are fighting their deadline.  This will be followed by a greater level of peace.