How to Meet a Deadline When You Don’t Want to Write

“I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” –Douglas Adams

Deadline is over by Scott Beale / Laughing Squid

Recently, I was facing four different writing deadlines, and I knew I needed to work on them in advance.

However, when I sat down to work, seemingly out of nowhere I just didn’t feel like writing.

I wanted to meet my deadlines, but I felt completely uninspired to actually do something about it. And tellingly, as I stared down those impending deadlines, my apathy was fast becoming an actual aversion to writing.

Deadline Dread

Some writers thrive under deadlines. They manage to do their most brilliant work when they’re under the last-minute pressure of an immediate deadline. I envy them.

External and internal pressure tends to extinguish my otherwise enflamed passion for writing, such that I’ve often come to dread deadlines.

Plus, I’m terrible at “forcing” myself to do anything, much less write. And let’s face it, you can’t really force inspiration or desire. You either feel it or you don’t. So, forcing myself simply wasn’t an option.

Nonetheless, I wrote, and eventually I met all my deadlines.

How did I do it? How did I manage to produce creative work without forcing myself? Simply put, I created a context for success and pulled out some tricks that coax and nurture my desire to write. And those tricks worked well enough for me that I definitely wanted to share them with you.

Transforming Dread into Success

Crucial to meeting any deadline is giving yourself enough time. So, if your unwritten novel chapter is due tomorrow, then these suggestions probably won’t help much.

But if you simply find yourself unmotivated and uninspired to write precisely when you need or want to work towards meeting a deadline, then hopefully these suggestions will help clear some of the pressure so you can do your best creative work.

Get objective and look at the big picture

When faced with an important deadline, it’s easy to get anxious and to overdramatize the effects and consequences of our actions or inactions.

When under pressure, I often imagine bogus consequences. For instance, sometimes I begin to believe that my entire writing career hinges upon meeting a certain publication deadline.

But when I start to dramatize the consequences for my actions or inactions, that’s my cue to stop letting my imagination run unbridled, to get objective, and to look at the big picture of my situation.

Writing isn’t brain surgery. No one and nothing will die if I don’t meet a deadline. I’ve worked diligently for decades on my writing career, and a single deadline won’t make or break my skills, experience, and hard work.

By getting objective and looking at the big picture, I’m able to extinguish the pressure that feels real but that I’ve ultimately created in my imagination.

Sure, deadlines are important. But if you’re unable to step back and look at the realistic consequences of your actions or inactions, then you may find yourself immobilized and spiraling in anxiety, not simply unmotivated but actually unable to write. And unfortunately, that’s the best formula for missing a deadline that’s important to you.

Make a choice

When we overdramatize the consequences of our actions or inactions, then often we feel we have limited choices or no choice at all. But if you take a moment to get objective and look at the big picture, then you’ll be better able to make a real choice.

Looking objectively at the situation, I set aside all my drama and create a very simple choice: I can write or not. The choice is entirely mine to make.

By simplifying the choice, I usually choose to write. Why? Because I actually love writing, and when I’ve taken the pressure off, I have very little trouble doing so.

Also, it’s important to make an active choice, rather than let your indecision make the choice for you.

For instance, there have been times when I missed a deadline simply because I was indecisive. I procrastinated, told myself I’d write, and then procrastinated some more. In other words, I didn’t make an active choice.

So, try not to use procrastination as a way of not making a decision. If you’re not going to write, then give yourself permission and choose to not write. Trust me, you’ll spare yourself a lot of anxiety.

Remember success

When faced with a pressing deadline, it’s important to be positive and to flex your creative self-esteem.

Try to remember the times that you’ve been successful in the past.

One trick I use to inspire myself is to read some of my poems that I think are successful or articles I’ve written and like.

Focusing on your accomplishments often provides motivation to succeed again. So, when you’re feeling under pressure or apathetic about meeting a deadline, re-read successful pieces or write down a list of your creative accomplishments.

Just begin

When push comes to shove, if you want to write, then you simply sit down and begin to write. And the key is to write anything, regardless of whether or not it’s geared towards your eventual goal.

For a first draft, it doesn’t matter if you start writing at the beginning of a poem or a story, the middle, or the end. All that really matters is that you find some way to begin writing.

Free writing in 5-10 minute intervals is a great way to begin because it loosens up those creative muscles when you don’t feel inspired or passionate. If you commit yourself to not judging and not editing what you write, then free writing gives you permission to produce terrible writing until you find your flow and move into brilliant writing.

Set smaller, realistic goals

When you’re trying to meet a deadline, set realistic goals by breaking your task into smaller, doable tasks.

I tend to use a timer. I set it for 15 minutes, write, take a short break, write another 15 minutes and continue working this way until I find my flow or I’ve done as much as I can. But you might work best by setting a word or page limit. Some people like to write one page at a time. Others like to write 500-1000 words a day.

Create whatever smaller goals work best for you, but the key is to make them realistic and doable so that you can definitely achieve them.

Let it be good enough

Let achieving your smaller goals and deadline be good enough.

On occasion, I set my goal to free write for 15 minutes, and that is literally all I write for the day. And I try really hard to let that be good enough.

The point is to be diligent in doing what you can to meet your deadline. And however measly it might seem to you, letting your best effort be good enough is a great way to keep your sanity when faced with a deadline.

Also, it’s important to let your final product be good enough. We often have very little objectivity about our writing when we’ve just completed it. So, remember: done is good.

Reward yourself

While meeting a deadline is rewarding in itself, external rewards are a great way to internalize and celebrate creative success.

When you meet a big deadline, go ahead and lavish a big reward on yourself, like going out to dinner with friends or family, getting a massage, or taking a short vacation.

When you meet a smaller goal, then focus on inexpensive or free rewards, like giving yourself permission to engage in your favorite activity or buying that book you’ve had your eye on. I keep a list of inexpensive items that I want, and when I achieve a goal, I indulge and buy one.

So, definitely reward yourself whenever you achieve a goal and meet a deadline.

Nurture Your Creativity

Ultimately, the key to meeting a deadline when you don’t want to write is to create a context in which you can succeed and to coax and nurture your creativity rather than force it.

Sometimes, coaxing and nurturing your creativity means not writing, but rather letting yourself engage in creative procrastination or artistic play for a short period of time. Sometimes, it means simply taking care of your basic emotional and physical needs.

By taking care of your creativity and yourself, you may just find that your deadline isn’t so dreadful after all, but rather a unique opportunity to explore new creative possibilities, to share your best work with others, and to succeed in your writing career.

How do you motivate yourself to meet a deadline?

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Flickr photo courtesy of Scott Beale / Laughing Squid