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It’s About Time Ruth Wong |
How to avoid the
last-minute scrambleI happened to be in downtown Honolulu a few Saturdays ago, the morning of the Kamehameha Day parade. As I drove by the floats, I wondered how late the workers stayed up to finish decorating them. On a newscast the night before, the reporter said the float workers would be toiling into the night.
That got me thinking about how we all seem to depend on the last minute to get things done. (In all fairness to the float workers, a certain amount of last-minute work is necessary in dealing with fresh flowers and greenery.)
But this dependence on the last minute is all too prevalent.
There's even a saying: "If it weren't for the last minute, nothing would get done!"
There are lots of examples of this in real life: On TV decorating shows like "Trading Spaces," in which participants have two days to perform a room makeover, there is always a last-minute scramble to finish up. And who hasn't burned the midnight oil cramming for an exam, or trying to get tax returns in the mail to the IRS on the April 15 deadline?
Lest you think that as an organizer, I don't have this problem, let me assure you that I'm very familiar with the dance known as the "last-minute shuffle."
A few weeks ago, when my younger son was home from grad school, he hosted a BBQ dinner for his friends at our home. I cleaned the house but decided that the patio tablecloth was too plain. Now, I had thought about making a new tablecloth months ago, but on this evening, with his guests due to arrive in 15 minutes, I decided to try sewing a new tablecloth!
I quickly located the colorful fabric I had purchased back then, and went to work sewing up the four sides. I finished just as the doorbell rang and quickly threw it on the patio table. If it weren't for that last minute, the old tablecloth would still be in place!
In high school, I was assistant editor of the school newspaper, and I still remember the last-minute scramble before deadline ... that happened every issue!
Can anyone identify with me? Surely I'm not dancing this last-minute shuffle alone, am I?
OF COURSE, there are times when unforeseen situations arise and depending on the last minute is unavoidable, but this isn't always the case.
While at times there is a feeling of exhilaration that comes from completing a task just before deadline, a steady diet of stress isn't good for one's well-being, not to mention that the last minute sometimes fails to materialize due to an unforeseen event.
So, what can be done to make use of all those minutes available prior to that last minute? We can exercise some "ESP":
» Eye your calendar of upcoming deadlines and events.
» Start today to work on the most imminent or important tasks.
» Persist to completion.
I encourage you to apply "ESP" to your current schedule and switch from doing the "last-minute shuffle" to doing the "leisurely stroll." Try it. You'll like it!
See you in two weeks!
"It's About Time," by Ruth Wong, owner of Organization Plus, runs the fourth Friday of each month. Contact her at "It's About Time," care of the Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, Honolulu 96813; or e-mail features@starbulletin.com