The word: deadlines

I lack adequate respect for deadlines, which is problematic for someone whose intended career revolves around them.

See, I’m the girl who RSVPs around 9:30 p.m. the day the invitation requests; the girl who has to sprint into the theatre just as the movie starts; the girl who says, “I’ll be there in 10 minutes,” and shows up in 20. In fact, this very post is due, like, now.

I always get things done and – hopefully – done well. I simply push my time limits.

My friends and family are used to it, but in college, it isn’t considered a charming imperfection.

The weekend before midterms, I spent hours working on a bibliography project that isn’t due until the end of the semester. Let me say that again: the end of the freaking semester. Meanwhile, I had four exams approaching and a paper to write for Thursday.

What was going through my mind?

The only conclusion I’ve reached – besides the fact that it was easy to do bit by bit during commercial breaks from “Dateline: Real Life Mysteries” – is this: The project due in May seemed less intimidating than my other assignments because there wasn’t any pressure to finish it by Monday. Therefore, I was more willing to tackle it.

That’s backwards logic, I know.

I already have a semester of college under my belt, so you’d think I’d have the hang of this deadline thing. I only wish that were the case.

It’s something that I must make a conscious effort to improve upon. Missed deadlines mean lost points, lost wages and/or more work for other people.

Nothing has made me more appreciative of the importance of meeting deadlines than working for Edge. Every time an assignment arrives late, our flow becomes clogged and our schedule backed up. We get cranky.

I think I’ll give the Student Success Center a call.

And I absolutely will not wait until five minutes before they close to do so.

Brianna Woods further illustrates the importance of time management in her blog.