“Always demand a deadline because it weeds out the extraneous and the ordinary. A deadline prevents you from trying to make it perfect so you have to make it different. Different is better.”
Kevin Kelly, Excellent Advice for Living
Ah, the deadline. That looming specter, the bane of procrastinators, the secret fuel of creativity. Kevin Kelly’s musings on deadlines strike a chord – not just with writers and artists, but with anyone who’s ever grappled with the allure of the indefinite.
Think of it this way: an open ocean without a compass invites aimless drifting. Sure, you might stumble upon hidden islands, but you’ll also waste months circling the same currents. A deadline, then, becomes the wind at your back, propelling you towards a specific shore, even if it’s not the one you initially envisioned.
The magic of the deadline lies in its harsh efficiency. It cuts through the fluff, the “good enoughs,” the endless tweaking. It forces you to confront the essence of your idea, to distill it down to its potent core. Under its pressure, extraneous details fall away, revealing the unique, the daring, the spark that makes your work stand out.
But isn’t perfection something to strive for? Kelly challenges that very notion. Perfection, he suggests, is often an illusion, a mirage shimmering on the horizon, forever out of reach. It can paralyze us, holding us back from the messy, imperfect beauty of “different.”
Embrace the different, Kelly urges. It’s in the unexpected twists, the bold strokes, the willingness to be unconventional that our work truly comes alive. Deadlines provide the crucible for this transformation. They push us beyond the familiar, beyond the safe, into the realm of the bold and the original.
Of course, deadlines aren’t without their limitations. Blind adherence to them can stifle organic growth, lead to rushed, unsatisfying results. The key, then, is to find the sweet spot – a deadline that sets the necessary fire without extinguishing the creative spark.
So, the next time you face a deadline, don’t see it as a burden, but as an opportunity. A deadline isn’t about reaching perfection, it’s about unleashing your difference, your unique voice, your contribution to the vibrant tapestry of creation. And who knows, you might just surprise yourself with what emerges from the crucible of time.
Remember, sometimes the most spectacular views aren’t from the summit, but from the path less traveled, carved out by the urgency of a deadline and the courage to be different. So,set your sails, light the fire, and let the deadline wind propel you towards a masterpiece of your own making.
Note: Google Bard helped write this article based upon a highlight I made reading Kevin Kelly’s book that was resurfaced to me by Readwise.