My Love Letter to Deadlines

My Love Letter to Deadlines

— by Rustam Khadka

It all began with school homework.

You remember that, don’t you? The kind you had to submit the very next day, before the bell rang for the first class. One page of neat handwriting, some math problems solved (wrongly but confidently), and a drawing you rushed in the class before the class begins.

That was my first date with you, dear Deadline.

Then came college, and with it, a strange tradition. Remember those autograph books our friends gave us before the final year ended? A blank page with our name on top and expectations at the bottom, write something funny, something wise, maybe even stick a photo. That came with a seven-day deadline, unspoken but understood. Miss it, and the friend would haunt you till convocation.

And then, there was her.

When I used to date my girlfriend, she once sweetly asked, “Can you write me just one love letter?”

Guess what? I never did.

No letter, no poetry, not even a sorry page in her diary.

And now? Look at me, writing a full-blown love letter to a Deadline.

Seriously?

Oh, and money, when you borrowed it from a friend? That came with deadlines, too. Except those deadlines were made to be crushed with “I’ll return next week” lies and shameless grins. No harm done. Friendships survived. Life moved on.

But then, something changed.

I entered the world of Project Management.

And here, dear Deadline, you became something else. A force. A constant. A whisper at the back of every meeting, every email, every “Can you take a look at this today?”

You are no longer that flexible, funny thing from college days. You’re sharp now. Measured in hours, not days. Defined by sprints, burn-down charts, and client calls that start with “So, where are we on the delivery?”

And if someone misses you here, oh boy, the whole project feels it.

No one forgets. No one forgives easily. They don’t let it go like a missed homework. They poke. They escalate. They add your name to reports with red highlights. You become a story. A case study. A tale for future retros and not to mention, the first feedback you get on appraisal reviews 😂. “You missed the deadline on this day at 5PM”

But despite all that… I think I still love you.

Because without you, work never ends. Plans float. Tasks pile. Meetings stretch. The team gets lost. And I lose my grip on what truly matters, momentum.

You push me to speak up in stand-ups, to prioritise ruthlessly, to block my calendar with guilt-free “Do Not Disturb” slots. You’ve turned me from a nice guy into a deadline hawk, still nice, but with teeth.

And let’s be honest, you’ve also helped me grow.

You’ve taught me that “ASAP” is not a plan. That “will try” is not a commitment. That it’s better to ask for help early than to apologise later with a shaky smile.

So yes, we fight. I hate you sometimes. I move you when I can. I negotiate with you like a middle-class dad buying vegetables. But deep down, I know I need you.

You’re the reason tasks become goals. Why success gets delivered, not just discussed. And why this chaos we call project management, somehow, works.

Forever chasing you,

Rustam Khadka

Project Manager, Professional Deadline Apologiser