D for Deadlines

In my opinion, there are two types of people in this world. The first type wakes up early, makes a schedule of their to-dos, and sticks with the plan. So that they can finish their work on time with no rush and anxiety. On the other hand, the second type may also wake up early, create a schedule of their responsibilities and then waits until the very last minute to actually fulfill them. They may still meet the deadline but with lots of tears and a crazy working environment. 

To be honest, I definitely belong to the second type. Although I am really a good planner, I seem to have a problem with bringing those plans into life. I like stickers and highlighter pens so I am able to spend hours creating timetables and making vows about how I am gonna stick to them. However, once I planned the whole week or month, I began to procrastinate. I may not be sure about the reasons for this but I am sure that I am not the only one.

So even though you have not finished a task, why is meeting the deadlines such a hard process? Well, I developed four possible explanations for this question.

First of all, let’s say for your sake and mental health, you plan to give this task an hour a day for 7 days but deep down you know that this is just a 3-hour task. So you can’t convince yourself to take this slowly and finish early and I think it is totally acceptable if you don’t want to give more of your time unless it is really necessary. Still, it would be nice if we don’t wait for the last 3 hours to finish it though. 

Second, you might think that you work better under pressure. All those adrenaline and anxiety may give you the energy for you to wrap your mind and get on with the work. Maybe the chaos feeds you. I know it sounds bad but if you learn to control it, this might even serve you in the long run. You can use this attitude to work in a complex and fast-paced business environment.

Third, maybe you just don't have enough on your plate. You may think that since you don’t have much to do, you can now watch movies or do some self-care. And do the work when you feel it or when you have to. As I observed, most people feel the need to get things done as soon as possible only when they have a bunch of other stuff going on in their life. They are afraid that they may not find another appropriate time or once they lose focus they may not get back on track. So, maybe you don’t feel the need to finish the task asap because you have so much free time.

Fourth, it might be because you don’t want to do the work. Sometimes the answer is this simple. Just because you don’t like to seem like a lazy person doesn’t mean you always like to do the work. Sometimes people fulfill their responsibilities just to fulfill them and that is also fine and, I think, realistic. Of course, I wish people would only do things that make them happy, however, we are not living in a utopia.

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