deadlines/checkpoints

I know that most people live in fear of deadlines, but I have learned to embrace them. I've learned to love them- I find that I stress over the project or task until the deadline until it's officially due. This was especially bad in college when I'd finish a paper a week early and then wonder for the entire week if it was terrible because I had finished it early and should have spent more time on it. I was always relieved when I hit the point in time where the project was done- done and turned in and there was nothing more I could do about it even if I wanted to.

I continuously find myself creating deadlines for tasks that need finished- the main floor needs vacuumed by Thursday, these mittens need to be done before August. Absolutely nothing bad will happen if I fail to meet any of these deadlines, but I still feel a sort of failure when I miss them. And by never making them in the first place, I put things off forever and projects are banished to dark corners never to be seen again.

Each year, I have two big self-imposed deadlines, and they're fairly evenly spread apart. It's a little challenge to myself to see just what all I can accomplish when I really set out to finish things. The first "deadline" is my birthday- I see finishing several lingering projects as a gift to myself since I can finally wear/gift/sell/cover up with whatever I've been putting off. The other "deadline" is Christmas- and that's just because I like starting the new year with fresh knitting, a class out-with-the-old-in-with-the-new.

But my birthday is sneaking up on me and I'm starting to sweat a little. Yes, I've finished a couple shawls lately, and Meghann's wedding gift squares are done as is a little work knitting, but there's still no much I had hoped to accomplish! True, I have until the 26th, but I highly doubt that I'm going to cram 3 sweaters, a blanket, spun singles, a sock, 2 cross-stitchings, a good resin session, and a rug hooking in before then. Plus work/working out/rugby/hanging out with Bam Bam.

So let's just see how much I can finish. I'm going to be better about documenting for all four of my readers and I'm just going to see how much I can possibly get done. And I'll try to have a little fun while I'm at it :p

I'm also curious- do you have a system? How do you finish things that you've been putting off? Do you put things off in the first place? Leave it in the comments- I love it when you guys have something to say!