Why Deadlines Are Like Going On Vacation

Dear Friend,

Yesterday I was on the phone with one of my VIP First Class Maverick Marketers - http://www.kingofcopy.com/maverickmarketer .  He was saying how he couldn't believe how many different projects I have going on at one time, and wondered how it was I managed to get everything done.

He's right.  It is FAR from easy for me.  But since necessity is the mother of invention, bluntly, I've had to become very vigilant about time management, and one of the most important things is setting up deadlines for myself.  Even if they are nothing more than daily, or even "hourly" deadlines, having them is now the rule, rather than the exception.

I know it may be hard for you to envision "writing" against a deadline -- after all, how can you get something done in a time-frame you don't really know how long it's actually going to take you, but here's something to think about, that may give you a different way of looking at deadlines, and make it easier for you to start using (and benefitting from) them.

First, listen to what Academy Award winner Francis Ford Coppola, director of The Godfather and other well-known films had to say about deadlines: "It's ironic that at age 32, at probably the greatest moment of my career, with The Godfather having such an enormous success, I wasn't even aware of it, because I was somewhere else under the deadline again."

One thing you're going to find is that extraordinary people who consistently accomplish a LOT of things -- BIG things -- are always under one deadline or another.  Some self-imposed, and some situational.  And the truth is, there's a reason for this.

Here, think about it this way: If you are going on vacation and your destination is further than "just around the corner", wouldn't you do your darndest to plan ahead of time and make SURE you got there as fast and efficiently as possible?

Or would you wait until the last moment and then just "wing it", blowing time and wasting every precious moment of your trip?

You see, business deadlines are really no different.  You're trying to minimize the impact of a necessary evil -- in this case, writing... just like "traveling to your destination" is the necessary evil in your vacation plans -- so you can get to the exciting part of your experience, quicker. 

In this case, that part is "making the sale", just the same way as enjoying your vaction spot is the exciting part of your vacation.

The uncomfortable reality of the business part, though, comes back to that old familiar crippling giant, "fear."  Because once you finish the sales letter... now you have to send it out, right? 

I mean, you just can't write it and let it lay there, no? 

So you're going to sit there... and wait... and wait... and wait.  And you'll either be afraid of the letter bombing, or... if you've struggled with fear of success and self-sabotage, you're going to be afraid of the letter doing well (Holy crap -- what happens then!  Yikes!).

In any case, THESE are the real reasons why you probably don't set deadlines to write -- outside of those people who really DO hate writing, the same way a lot of people hate, or just aren't good at "math"... or gardening, or something like that.  And if you're one of those people, then stop dicking around with writing and hire someone to do it for you, because it's going to be bad if you do it on your own anyway. 

Of course, a good portion of THESE people will be back to square one with the "fear" deal, because once you get your letter back, then you're going to procrastinate about mailing it out.  But that's no big deal, because to fix that problem...

You simply set another deadline!

Right?

In any case, deadlines are a lot less painful than going to the dentist, and they're a GREAT way of making SURE you're getting stuff done faster and more effectively, so start setting them right now. 

Your deadlines and your fears are mutually exclusive.  If I were you, I'd keep them that way.

Now go sell something,

Craig Garber

P.S. Order The Seductive Selling System™ NOW using the low low EZ-Installment Plan, and not only will you uncover 47 Ways To Push Your Prospects Emotional Buy-Buttons, but you'll also get a COMPLETELY FREE trial subscription to The Seductive Selling Newsletter ™ AND $794 Dollars worth of FREE Bonus gifts.  Check it out NOW at http://www.kingofcopy.com/seductive

Any comments?

Send them to me by scooting over to the contact form on my "Here's How To Contact Craig" page, and maybe I'll publish them -- I appreciate your feedback!

You can reprint, or link to this article, or to any article on this web site, as long as you include the following text-box: