Deadline…

Deadline – what a powerful word! Just seeing it makes me want to jump up and check my surroundings. Are you working under a deadline? Have you been given a deadline or is it self-imposed? If given, is it practical? If self-imposed is it necessary? I think the word is overused and misconstrued.  It is used to designate an area surrounding a prison; prisoners are not allowed to cross that line – under penalty of death. It is used by the military to designate a piece of equipment as inoperable; aircraft unable to fly, ships out of service. It’s used by journalists to indicate the last moment type may be changed before going to print. Those are all appropriate uses with appropriate stress levels. But too often today I hear people using it as a motivator. As if applying stress to a situation will create a better outcome. I spent many years in management and I can scarcely recall truly successful results when applying it. Oh I may have gotten faster results but they usually weren’t better. I’ve found that people who were easily intimidated or discouraged were twice as likely to perform poorly under a deadline. Have you heard – ‘there’s never enough time to do it right – but there’s always enough time to do it over’? Better is more effectively achieved with terms like guideline, finish line, target, due date, zero hour. Can’t you just feel the difference? Using stress as a motivator is not just unpleasant it is depraved. To perform better under such conditions (anxious toil) is according to Psalm 127 vain. We are to encourage (1 Thessalonians 5) and exhort one another (Hebrews 3) and do whatever our hands find to do with all our might (Ecclesiastes 9).  So the next time you hear or begin to use the word ‘deadline’ I encourage you to replace it or substitute it with another more encouraging and motivating term.  How about time limit, goal, crossroads, term, objective? How many better ways can you say it?