For circa 2015 Adam, two of the most stressful words in software development were deadlines and estimates. To my surprise, deadlines were easier to write about.

Deadlines prevent work from snowballing. They guide us to favor the clarity of the present over the speculative grandeur of the future.

— More of a strongly worded date, if I’m being honest

I didn’t have a way to work it to the essay above, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the greatest deadline hacks of the past half-century:

The show doesn’t go on because it’s ready; it goes on because it’s eleven-thirty.

— Lorne Michaels

Saturday Night Live, what fantastic hack! 😉 If you’re playing along at home, SNL is actually two deadline hacks:

  • There’s a Big Consequences deadline at 11:30pm on Saturday; the show goes on whether a prop, sketch, or actor is ready or not.
  • Every live show week has a long-established cadence: pitching the host on Monday, writing through the night on Tuesday, table read on Wednesday, rehearsals and iteration Thursday and Friday, dress rehearsal on Saturday, final changes, and then the live show.