The whole process of writing professionally--with the constant routine of making time, dealing with blocks, revisions, and the ever-so-dreaded page-one rewrite--can get stressful enough without also having to deal with looming deadlines. And if you don't learn how to deal with the stress, not only will you end up bald, frothing, and in a straight-jacket, you might also (and this is the worst part) not complete your project in time. And nothing hurts your career more than missing a deadline, and making a habit of that will bring your career to a dead end.

In my experience, learning to deal with the stress so I can remain productive has been the trickiest and most difficult part of the job (short of finding enough work to pay the bills). The following tips and techniques are what I have learned, both from other writers and by personal experience, over time:

Stop Procratinating!

Seriously, nothing beats the looming-deadline-stress-demon like starting on the project as soon as you get it instead of waiting until the last minute. Your boss at your dayjob will never put up with such nonsense, so why should your "internal boss" in the back of your head? Do this one simple step, and you won't need the rest of the following tips. Well, most of the time.

Stop Looking at the Clock

Especially when you're trying to write. If you need to stop at a certain time to, say, go to work or to bed, then that's what the alarm clock is for. It's also a good idea to not remind yourself what day it is every five minutes.

Take it One Sentence at a Time

Keep writing, and if you get blocked do a couple minutes of stream-of-conscious writing while maintaining some mental focus on the project you're blocked on. Keep the focus even as you write random stuff, eventually Right-Brain will get the hint.

Limit your Floor Pacing to One Minute Intervals Every Hour

If you're like me, you have a tendency to pace the floor whenever you're thinking about what to write next or when feeling stressed. Limit the pacing. Those words aren't writing themselves while you pace around and fret over them. If your fingers aren't a walkin' the page ain't a talkin', so get those fingers to walking even if you have to do stream-of-conscious for a minute or two.

Take Long Slow Breaths

And if you know Ti'Chi, do that for a minute or two also. But no more than a minute or two each hour--the Ti'chi, you can always breath slow while typing.

Think Happy Thoughts

Like the money you'll be getting once the project is done, or even the name recognition. You'll be amazed at how productive you can be when you let Phenomenal Cosmic Ego out of the box to play for a bit. Just make sure PCE doesn't get out of control in the process.

I won't say that following the above techniques will guarantee stress-free writing because if there isn't at least a little stress then you're not caring about the project enough (which effects quality, and that can be just as bad as being late with it). But, it'll certainly help reduce the stress enough to keep your writing enjoyable and fun--which is the whole point of why you started a writing career in the first place.