--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was cranked to a fifth gear, and…" description: "\"“I was cranked to a fifth gear, and everything I did, I did on a deadline.”\" — Mitch Albom" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/mitch-albom-187_deadline_i-was-cranked-to-a-fifth-gear-and-everyt_2143353.png" --- # I was cranked to a fifth gear, and everything I did, I did… ![“I was cranked to a fifth gear, and everything I did, I did on a deadline.” quote by Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/mitch-albom-187_deadline_i-was-cranked-to-a-fifth-gear-and-everyt_2143353.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/mitch-albom-187_deadline_i-was-cranked-to-a-fifth-gear-and-everyt_2143353.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/mitch-albom-187_deadline_i-was-cranked-to-a-fifth-gear-and-everyt_2143353.png) > ““I was cranked to a fifth gear, and everything I did, I did on a deadline.”” [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Working under intense pressure makes every task feel urgent and deadline‑driven. **In simple terms:** High pressure creates constant deadlines. Key Takeaway Manage stress, set realistic timelines. Themes work pressure deadlines Mood determined urgent Type professional motivational When to use this quote - project work - creative deadlines - career stress Key Concepts time management productivity Questions to Reflect On - How do you prioritize under pressure? - What strategies reduce deadline stress? A Different Perspective Pressure can reduce quality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Workaholic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/workaholic/) ## Related quotes > [I was a workaholic. I never stopped. I lived in fifth gear. I bought cars. I invested in stocks. I made more money than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-was-a-workaholic-i-never-stopped-i-lived-in-fifth-gear-i-bought/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I always stressed that I didn't have coaching experience, but that I did have a deadline: June 9.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurgen-klinsmann/i-always-stressed-that-i-didn-t-have-coaching-experience-but-that-i/) [Jurgen Klinsmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurgen-klinsmann/) > [“Had it not been for "Nightline," Morrie would have died without ever seeing me again. I had no good excuse for this, except the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/had-it-not-been-for-nightline-morrie-would-have-died-without-ever/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I used to be a classic workaholic, and after seeing how little work and career really mean when you reach the end of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-used-to-be-a-classic-workaholic-and-after-seeing-how-little-work/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Time can't be given. But it can be shared”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/time-can-t-be-given-but-it-can-be-shared/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [I work very closely with my publisher and just give them tons and tons of music, and then they link that with different songwriters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-sitek/i-work-very-closely-with-my-publisher-and-just-give-them-tons-and/) [Dave Sitek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-sitek/) > [I'm a gym rat, I'm a workaholic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quinn-cook/i-m-a-gym-rat-i-m-a-workaholic/) [Quinn Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quinn-cook/) > [I see myself as a bit of a traveller. I am a workaholic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricki-lee-coulter/i-see-myself-as-a-bit-of-a-traveller-i-am-a-workaholic/) [Ricki-Lee Coulter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricki-lee-coulter/) > [When I didn't have a family, I was much more of a workaholic. I still like to work, but I also want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-stiller/when-i-didn-t-have-a-family-i-was-much-more-of-a-workaholic-i-still/) [Ben Stiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-stiller/) > [I'm a workaholic and there is no other engagement in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anubhav-sinha/i-m-a-workaholic-and-there-is-no-other-engagement-in-my-life/) [Anubhav Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anubhav-sinha/) > [I'm a workaholic, and I know it. And I don't care to deal with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dakin-matthews/i-m-a-workaholic-and-i-know-it-and-i-don-t-care-to-deal-with-it/) [Dakin Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dakin-matthews/) > [When you need something tedious done, and don't have time for it, give it to a workaholic. This way, both of you will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-j-zelinski/when-you-need-something-tedious-done-and-don-t-have-time-for-it-give/) [Ernie J Zelinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-j-zelinski/) > [In the past, I've been a workaholic. I'm trying not to be anymore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-shuler-donner/in-the-past-i-ve-been-a-workaholic-i-m-trying-not-to-be-anymore/) [Lauren Shuler Donner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-shuler-donner/) > [I love to work in football, so for me it's not work. I'm not here first in the morning and last in the evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-farke/i-love-to-work-in-football-so-for-me-it-s-not-work-i-m-not-here-first/) [Daniel Farke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-farke/) > [I'm a workaholic, but I also like to vacation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karrueche-tran/i-m-a-workaholic-but-i-also-like-to-vacation/) [Karrueche Tran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karrueche-tran/) ## More by Mitch Albom > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [the words people do not speak are louder than the ones they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-words-people-do-not-speak-are-louder-than-the-ones-they-do/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Once, lovers on faraway shores sat by candlelight and dipped ink to parchment, writing words that could not be erased. They took an evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/once-lovers-on-faraway-shores-sat-by-candlelight-and-dipped-ink-to/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Giving to other people makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what I look like in the mirror. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/giving-to-other-people-makes-me-feel-alive-not-my-car-or-my-house-not/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [Life goes quickly, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-goes-quickly-doesn-t-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [As children grow, they gravitate to their fates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/as-children-grow-they-gravitate-to-their-fates/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“If the only thing wrong with Moses is that he's not yours; if the only thing wrong with Jesus is that he's not yours;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/if-the-only-thing-wrong-with-moses-is-that-he-s-not-yours-if-the-only/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“whisper their good-byes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/whisper-their-good-byes/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“I had also developed my own culture. Work. Over the years, I had taken labor as my companion and had moved everything else to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-had-also-developed-my-own-culture-work-over-the-years-i-had-taken/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [When we are most alone is when we embrace another's loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/when-we-are-most-alone-is-when-we-embrace-another-s-loneliness/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [“You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-didn-t-get-it-sacrifice-is-a-part-of-life-it-s-supposed-to-be-it/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on the good things still in my life. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-give-myself-a-good-cry-if-i-need-it-but-then-i-concentrate-on-the/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [It was sad, the imbalance of it all. Why do kids assume so much from one parent and hold the other to a lower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/it-was-sad-the-imbalance-of-it-all-why-do-kids-assume-so-much-from/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) [Explore all 962 Mitch Albom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) ## More Deadline quotes > [Having small children and being an investigative reporter would seem like a difficult mix, but it worked well for me. I was often working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-abramson/having-small-children-and-being-an-investigative-reporter-would-seem/) [Jill Abramson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-abramson/) > [Two things you need to know about taxes. They've extended the deadline to April 18, and when you write your check, just make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/two-things-you-need-to-know-about-taxes-they-ve-extended-the-deadline/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [All writers are forced to live within deadlines, and deadlines determine how good they can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-o-donnell/all-writers-are-forced-to-live-within-deadlines-and-deadlines/) [Lawrence O'Donnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-o-donnell/) > [I always think the most important thing for a writer is a deadline, and it's the same with a house. They say you shouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/i-always-think-the-most-important-thing-for-a-writer-is-a-deadline/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) > [“Pakiramdam ko e andami kong naiisip na dehins magawa dahil alang deadline. Nasanay ata ko sa school tsaka sa trabaho na lahat may deadline.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manix-abrera/pakiramdam-ko-e-andami-kong-naiisip-na-dehins-magawa-dahil-alang/) Manix Abrera > [Everybody in the real world will agree - the moment a project is behind deadline, quality assurance tends to go out the window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cox/everybody-in-the-real-world-will-agree-the-moment-a-project-is-behind/) Alan Cox > [Nero wasn't worried at all when he heard the utterance of the Delphic Oracle: "Beware the age of seventy-three." Plenty of time to enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-p-cavafy/nero-wasn-t-worried-at-all-when-he-heard-the-utterance-of-the-delphic/) [C.P. Cavafy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-p-cavafy/) > [Nothing focuses attention like a real deadline. If you are in a field where life and death, or having a job or not having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry/nothing-focuses-attention-like-a-real-deadline-if-you-are-in-a-field/) [John Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry/) > [“There is one surefire way to produce bad writing: submit to the slavery of a deadline.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flavia-id/there-is-one-surefire-way-to-produce-bad-writing-submit-to-the/) Flavia Idà > [I think setting goals is critical; having deadlines for ourselves- how much by when? Too many people have these big dreams where they want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/i-think-setting-goals-is-critical-having-deadlines-for-ourselves-how/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [Publishing is, by its nature, about deadlines, and deadlines are toxic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-karon/publishing-is-by-its-nature-about-deadlines-and-deadlines-are-toxic/) [Jan Karon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-karon/) > [There are no unrealistic goals, only unrealistic deadlines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/there-are-no-unrealistic-goals-only-unrealistic-deadlines/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [Without deadlines and restrictions I just tend to become preoccupied with other things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-kilmer/without-deadlines-and-restrictions-i-just-tend-to-become-preoccupied/) [Val Kilmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-kilmer/) > [Most lawsuits against the EPA historically have come either because of the agency's lack of regard for a statute or because the EPA failed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-pruitt/most-lawsuits-against-the-epa-historically-have-come-either-because/) [Scott Pruitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-pruitt/) > [“The deadline is at midnight in America; dawn, 5 A.M., in England, and 8:00 A.M., early morning, in Iraq. The Americans tie yellow ribbons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betool-khedairi/the-deadline-is-at-midnight-in-america-dawn-5-a-m-in-england-and-8-00/) Betool Khedairi Browse all 405 Deadline quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I was cranked to a fifth gear, and everything I did, I did on a deadline.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mitch Albom" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-was-cranked-to-a-fifth-gear-and-everything-i-did-i-did-on-a-deadline/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deadline" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-was-cranked-to-a-fifth-gear-and-everything-i-did-i-did-on-a-deadline/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/mitch-albom-187_deadline_i-was-cranked-to-a-fifth-gear-and-everyt_2143353.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/mitch-albom-187_deadline_i-was-cranked-to-a-fifth-gear-and-everyt_2143353.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b24/mitch-albom-187_deadline_i-was-cranked-to-a-fifth-gear-and-everyt_2143353.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was cranked to a fifth gear, and everything I did, I did on a deadline.” — Mitch Albom", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Mitch Albom", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I was cranked to a fifth...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-was-cranked-to-a-fifth-gear-and-everything-i-did-i-did-on-a-deadline/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-was-cranked-to-a-fifth-gear-and-everything-i-did-i-did-on-a-deadline/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```