S2 E5: Deadlines BS: The Truth About Launch Dates, Burnout, and Rushed Work cover art

S2 E5: Deadlines BS: The Truth About Launch Dates, Burnout, and Rushed Work

S2 E5: Deadlines BS: The Truth About Launch Dates, Burnout, and Rushed Work

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About this listen

Entrepreneurs are drowning in deadlines - launch by Friday, post daily, drop everything for “urgent” client requests.

But how many of those deadlines are real, and how many are fake urgency that only creates stress, mistakes, and burnout?

In this episode I unpack:

  • Why arbitrary, ego-driven deadlines backfire.

  • Real-world flops from rushing launches and forcing targets.

  • The science: Parkinson’s Law, Yerkes–Dodson, Hofstadter’s Law.

  • How to set deadlines that serve your business (and sanity).


  • Chapters and Timelines

    • 00:00 — Intro: Are your deadlines real or just fake urgency?

    • 02:27: Self-imposed pressure: daily posting & launch myths

    • 04:40: When clients say “urgent”: drop-everything demands that vanish

    • 06:42: The cost of rushing: stress, mistakes, lower quality, burnout

    • 09:34: Real-world examples: rushed launches & target pressure gone wrong

    • 12:11: The science: Parkinson’s Law, Yerkes–Dodson, Hofstadter’s Law

    • 14:53: The flip side: when deadlines do help (urgency & accountability)

    • 17:35: Setting deadlines properly: soft vs hard, data not ego

    • 20:02: The N0BS Deadline Rules: five rules that keep you sane

    • 22:33: Checklist & signals: when a deadline is worth the push

    • 24:58: Wrap-up: use deadlines as tools, not whips
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