Like a racehorse

I semi retired, gave up my career and made my hobby my living. Our former detached garage has been kidnapped by me years ago and is now my work shop and home to 2 feral cats, who just showed up one day and decided to tolerate me, our dogs and all the noises I make. I live from deadline to deadline and I have to admit I like it…worse, I need it.

Working for myself is fun. I can work whenever I want to, make my own schedule. I can be very productive or lazy. I can do as I please and that’s why someone invented deadlines.

I need deadlines, they get my Adrenalin flowing, they get me going. I have between 4-8 weeks to get a project done, what is very realistic, if I wouldn’t be one of the worlds biggest procrastinators. I can sit there for days thinking about a project. Trying to get my vision and the customers wishes in one boat can be time consuming and is quiet often the main challenge. I am a first class “piddler”. I can piddle around for days, like a cat circling the mouse without actually killing it.

Then…a look at the calender “Heavens…I better get going”, these words are like the opening gate for a race horse. I go from zero to race speed in just a few seconds. Finishing the project beautifully and before the deadline is now the goal. It’s not always possible. More than once did I have to finish up the night before. My husband, who is always perfectly organized, shakes his head each and every time it happens. More than once did he ask me “why didn’t you start right away”. He doesn’t get it, he can’t understand it. He just doesn’t get the fun I am having challenging myself.

As crazy as it might seem, I need the heat. I don’t know why, but it brings the best out of me. My next dead line is June 26th and I already know it’s going to be a hassle, because I am already behind in my schedule. Dead lines are stressful and exciting. Nothing is more rewarding than the happy look on a customers face when they see the finished project. That’s the reward I am aiming for each and every time. Dead lines keep me in line, they push me to the edge. I love the heat, bring it on!

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The Heat is On

Do you thrive under pressure or crumble at the thought of it? Does your best stuff surface as the deadline approaches or do you need to iterate, day after day to achieve something you’re proud of? Tell us how you work best.