As a reporter, I'm no stranger to working on deadline. A story comes in, I do my research, conduct the interviews, and then write the story - all usually within a day's time. However, deadlines do not just apply to my freelance work. Deadlines apply to every single aspect of my life.

I'm on deadline as a teacher - preparing lesson plans in time for class to start. I'm on deadline as a mom - rushing to get to soccer practices and dance lessons by the time each one starts. I'm on deadline as a home owner - keeping the house clean, the family fed, and the dog away from our valuables.

Deadlines are draining and sometimes a royal pain.

I felt this pain when I opened my e-mail at work this morning and received yet another message warning me that my mailbox had exceeded the storage limit. I spent the next 45 minutes rummaging through my sent mail, deleting large files, transferring e-mails to the server, and organizing the e-mails I need to reference in the future.

Without this deadline (or irritating message), I would not have taken the time to do this task.

Deadlines force us to produce - productivity that we would rarely achieve without them. Deadlines keep us on track and more importantly, keep us accountable. Deadlines force us to complete tasks that we would normally put off until another time - a day that will never come.

While we live in a society that promotes "busy-ness," sometimes it is necessary to un-busy ourselves and set a personal deadline. A deadline for family time, a deadline for a run or walk each week, and a deadline for some "me" time.

If we treat our lives like a newsroom, we just might get something done - personally and professionally. That's all for now - I'm on deadline - dinner is in one hour.