My armpits are sticky, my floor is so dirty it crunches, and  yet another episode of Dora The Explorer is glowing across my toddler’s face.

I am leaving for a trip to Montreal in exactly one week and have been racing for the last month to get my final final manuscript draft completed before my departure. Because clearly people that speak french don’t have computers.

Okay, so there is no real rational behind my deadline, however I have to say it is has nonetheless motivated me to sit at my computer as often as possible lately–which seems to be key for writers.

As Gretchen Rubin describes in her book, The Happiness Project, “Over the long run, the unglamorous habit of frequency fosters both productivity and creativity.” In other words, do it, and do it often, and you will create success.

Now I just have to figure out how to set deadlines without spending a couple grand in the process.