Creativity loves a little pressure and hates a lot of it. Find the amount that gets you moving.

With no deadline, work drifts and nothing gets finished. With too much, you stop taking risks and produce the safest thing that will pass. Somewhere between sits a level of pressure that sharpens attention without closing off options, and that level is personal: some people need an hour’s notice and some need two weeks. Knowing yours is practical information about how to arrange your work.

Think about what you have made that you actually liked, and how much time you had. Look for the pattern, then set your own deadlines at roughly that distance. If you freeze easily, shrink the task rather than extending the clock.