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Blog: Organizing for Boomers
 Deadlines are DELICIOUS!
Had planned to write this week's blog about closet clearing in general and my closet in particular, but that will have to wait. I took a look at the calendar and realized my deadline was dead-on in front of me.
Every summer I wait anxiously for July 15th to arrive. This has become my own D-Day-my own self-imposed deadline. I've always felt that deadlines are delicious devils. They are there to move us to action, to get on with things, to not let too much grass grow under our feet.
Some deadlines are much more fun than others. Deadlines for work projects can create sweat pebbles forming in various spots on our bodies. We feel our hearts pounding and we start conversations with ourselves like, "Why did you wait so long? Are you going to get this done in time? Does it have to be so perfect?"
Of course, all these conversations with ourselves slow us down from actually getting the work done, which is the main point. Self-flagellation doesn't seem to speed up the task to completion; it usually has the opposite effect.
We all need deadlines from time to time. How many of us would ever actually get around to sending money to the government every year if there was no such thing as April 15th? If we could send in our college papers whenever we felt like it, how many of us would have ever finished a course, let alone a degree or two?
And how about those great high school and college reunions? Would any of us start looking at ourselves seriously in the mirror and ask "Where or where did that waistline go?" if it weren't for those reunion notices in the mail? Sometimes we don't even have to attend the events-just knowing that people who knew us long ago would be getting together, might be incentive enough for us to take some much-needed action.
July 15th each year is my deadline for boogie boarding in the ocean. I have this window from 7/15-10/15 for boogie boarding in the Pacific. Some years, like this year, I do go in before the deadline (The crummy relatives were here in late June and the water was extremely warm so I did some boogie boarding already this summer).
Most years it takes until the middle of July for the water to warm up to 70 degrees or so. Once I'm in at the beginning of my 12 week schedule, I find I have to plan my outings to maximize my boarding adventures. The middle of October arrives quickly enough.
You might wonder why I get out of the water in mid-October. Every year I say I'm going to get a wet suit and stay in the water 12 months of the year, like the young (and old) surfers do. Every year I say, "This is the year when I will boogie board 12 months instead of three".
And then there it is: the October 15th deadline—right before me; how quickly it arrives; creeps up on me when I'm not noticing the shortened days.
And right then and there I am always faced with another deadline-go shopping for a wet suit or get out of the water. I really wouldn't mind owning a wet suit or wearing one for that matter. What I can't face is going somewhere and trying them on!!
What deadlines are you facing? Write to me at and let me know how you complete deadlines, whether for fun or work. What secrets have you uncovered to meet those deadlines? How do you reward yourself when you beat the deadlines?
I'll get back to my closets soon, but right now the sun is out, the sky is blue and the water is perfect.
Until next time…
Sue
Making Your Space a Special Place
www.theREDteam.com
posted on: 7/21/2008 9:58:15 PM by Sue Crum
category: Special Populations
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