Hmmm. Deadlines. Well. Deadlines are subjective. I have two separate circumstances and in one the deadlines matter and in the other they don't.
So, when deadlines don't matter - I actually don't receive a lot of review copies. I buy my books. I pick what I read off the stacks and stacks that I have in my room. I work at a bookstore, so I do get ARCs here and there, but they are selective, and I'm selective about which ones I choose. When I am reading and reviewing these types of books, I don't set deadlines. I hesitate to commit to reading books at certain times because I don't want to read something I'm not in the mood for, because then I'm likely to resent it, or to color my opinion of it with a pre-set attitude. If I am reading and reviewing a book before it's intended date, I always try to post that review within a week of it's release date. Other than that, I read what I feel like and post shortly after.
When deadlines matter? Well, when I receive copies intended specifically for review - i.e. NetGalley and author requests. In these instances I come up with a rough date that I intent to have a review posted for that book. Also, for memes, giveaways, or events. Those three things are when my deadlines are actually set, because they often involve a lot of other people.
This is not a blog run by deadlines. I set them occasionally - so the ones I do set are easy to stick to, because everything else is so flexible. I DID just get a calendar specifically for the blog though. I'm now keeping better track of book release dates and those instances that actually have deadlines. I feel better about being organized and coming up with a system - but most of my calendar is open to be filled later, depending on what I'm reading.
How about you? What's your take on deadlines?
