That deadline that you know is coming, but don't do anything about...
It looms, closer and closer. You have some notes, a really good outline, but you haven't started putting it into final form. And it's not like you're being lazy or inactive -- there are just so many other things to be working on as well that demand your focus. Until the deadline gets really close, like a huge rock your ship is about to crash into, and you finally bring All Hands On Deck to get it done timely and well, burning rubber, midnight oil, and every resource to bring it to a glorious finish.
And then you think, "Oh, man! What's up with me? Why didn't I start that earlier? And I knew about it for the longest time too!"
Before you beat yourself up for being a procrastinator, which doesn't change your behavior anyway, let me offer a new perspective. Waiting until that's ALL you should focus on, creates its own clarity -- and that in itself is a significant reward. So procrastination may actually be reinforcing a reward mechanism for you.
"Waiting until that's ALL you should focus on, creates its own clarity -- and that in itself is a significant reward. So procrastination may actually be reinforcing a reward mechanism for you." Click to tweet.
First, given everything else that goes on in your average professional day, other fires seemed more important until the deadline loomed up as heading toward you, finally coming out of the mists as solid and real. Getting "all your other important stuff" done is a reward.
Second, if you get charged up by facing a short deadline with brilliance and intensity, that's a reward too. It's more fun to you to be the maverick who pulls it off well, than the plodder who diligently spent an hour each day as per their well-planned-out calendar.
Third, an All Hands On Deck deadline creates its own focus. Suddenly it's "OK" to clear the calendar, bear down with no distractions and FOCUS. You can achieve an amazing level of intensity and flow state. In truth, it's a glorious feeling. All at once, the decision of what to work on is made for you. There's no ambiguity, no "what should I pick today?" out of the hundreds of activities you could choose to structure your time. There's just this One. Big. Focus.
After that deadline had passed and the regular workday returned, I realized that I really MISSED that single-minded clarity while we were finishing the project. Life was so brilliantly simple then: head to the workspace, get into a multi-hour flow state of beautiful creation, and simply work it straight through with not a single distraction. Cooldown time to get refreshed. Then next day, pick it up and repeat. Clear. Easy. Focused. Reward!!
It was so simple, clear, and fulfilling, that the overall reward of focus even blotted out the stress of the last few "Dark Side" days when we really had to hit crunch time to meet that deadline.
So, if you put projects off until the end, see if you're an All Hands On Deck personality.
Do deadlines not seem real or urgent to you until they loom out of the mist?
Do you get charged up by the idea of pulling off a quality production at the last minute?
Do you find that the clarity of being able to clear everything else off your calendar and focus on ONE project is its own reward?
Once you understand that these are part of your reward system, you can work to work WITH yourself.
Get as much advance footwork done as possible, to minimize the final impact.
Have clear templates and systems that smooth out the repetitive parts for you.
Know when you'll need to clear the deck on your calendar so you can focus on the final production.
And of course...
Recognize this for what it is. If you can feel less of a need to be the game-saving rock star, you can remove some of the intrinsic reward reinforcement from repeatedly tackling deadlines on a last-minute basis. In the long run this gives you more creativity with less wear and tear!
The more you know how to work effectively with your own habits and personality, the better your impact will be.
Keep growing,
Katherine
