Deadlines.

All my deadlines are artificial.

They're real for all that, though.  If they aren't real, they get ignored.  For some reason I'm able to make them real in my head.

Anyway, I have 10 days to finish this book, once and for all.

BUT....

If I feel like I'm making real progress, I may extend that deadline another 10 days.

After all, presenting the book to my publisher on August 15 ain't all that different from presenting it on August 1 -- not in the longterm scheme of things.

But deadlines for me have to be firm right up to the point where they are due.

Only then can I break them.