Perils of the 11th Hour.

If only I had not left it to the last minute, I would have had that in person meeting with the Dalai Lama.

I would have presented my paper in the international conference.

I would have accepted the directorship of IFA.

But none of them happened simply because I left things to the 11^th hour. During my younger days I had a poster on my wall that said, don’t leave things to the 11^th hour, you may die at 10.30 I found it funny and I also maybe somewhere internalized the futility of going overboard and planning things too much in advance.

Look at people handing in their homework at the last minute.

People who hit the snooze button.

Rita May-Brown is right nothing would get done unless it is the last minute. Have you noticed that work tends expand into the time available. Why do they do it. isn’t it funny that when someone delays, we fine the person. But some does things in advance that is let’s say someone pays taxes well in advance we do not reward them.

Coming back why do we procrastinate, probably because the brain goes into a freeze mode, it could be out sheer fatigue. Or it could be that we like the adrenaline rush that comes from the last-minute rush. The thrill the suspense of will I or won’t I. quite often the most brilliant creative ideas are 11^th hour innovations. Let’s get real, one cannot turn creativity on like a faucet, it requires the right inspiration like the last minute-panic.

In my own personal space, I realized when I am not sure of the outcome I  hesitate, particularly when my knowledge of the concern area is not adequate. I overtly spend time on research often getting sidetracked. If I am sure of my subject then I just get done with it and move one.

In variable most people who procrastinate are dealing with the freeze syndrome, they are in a situation which is not comfortable for them. they are not in a place to fight it, nor are they in a space to refuse or fly away from it, so they opt for the next best that is play dead. Freeze.

A friend of mine is very particular about giving in perfect work in absolutely neat pages. With the advent of computers, it is managed more easily but during our school days, she would umpteen rough copies, with inserts, and rewriting.

It’s not that I intend to procrastinate, after all the lord only promised forgiveness to my repentance not a tomorrow for my procrastination. Yet somehow a day seem to slip between my intention and execution.

There had to be hack, I mean I tried taking a walk, sipping tea, gulping coffee… nothing worked. Finally, what did was breaking the deadline to shorter shooting range. Each day I gave my self small bits to complete from big collage to the deadline. It made things easier just one step out of my comfort zone. I could even walk it bare foot.

While you sort your procrastination equation, I think I shall set up a debate between Mark Twain who proclaimed “never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after” and Benjamin Frankling who said, “never put off till tomorrow what can be done today” well we Oscar Wilde rooting for Mark Twain and Abe Lincoln, standing by Franklin.