Hi. I'm Paul Nixon, a designer living in Mountain View California. My days (and some nights) are spent designing websites for a little company in Cupertino. The rest of my time is spent with my beautiful wife and friends, road cycing and reading your blogs.

Goals vs. Deadlines

Monday, November 29, 2004 03: 58 AM

Sometimes goals don't mean anything and you just have to make a deal with yourself to do whatever it takes to finish that one project you have simply put off for too long. Some projects get to the point where it's time to throw off all the platitudinal talk and just get it done.

When a goal or project gets to that point I like to set up an ultimatum with myself. I do this by creating a self-imposed deadline and then publicly disclosing it to one or more people.

It can be an incredible motivational tool to make that final push to finish the project OR is can be the straw that breaks the camel's back. Ultimately it can reveal just how dedicated you are (or were) to the project. This seems to work best for me with projects that are close to completion and need that final push or projects that I haven't started and need a good headstart.

To that end -- Biking Tucson with either come to life on Dec. 1 or die a quiet, anonymous death. I am determined to give it life.

Here's to not seeing much of my bed for the next 48 hours.