Under Pressure

As you know, I'm a planner, list maker, scheduler, doer. Yet part of me thrives on leaving shit until the last minute while the other part of me wants to punch my own self in the face for doing that.

In college, I used to wait until midnight before I started writing a 20 page paper that was due in the morning. If I didn't wait until the last minute to write this blog post, I'd have a photo for you of me with a stack of Victorian lit books and sources on my head while I sat and did not write my major paper and instead participated in a power hour with roommates and friends, leaving the paper until the next night. It was like I had to amp myself up to be able to really clamp down and focus. And invariably those papers came back with As and comments like "very insightful, good connections."

Say what? And I'd re-read them - no time for editing when you leave no time for editing, yes? - and think hot damn those are good connections.

I didn't do that with every paper because I don't make a home on the edge, I only visit it sometimes. The papers I prepared in advance honestly weren't as good.

I thought I'd grow out of this, but I haven't. I was doing everything at work except writing one paragraph - literally, four sentences that went together - and I put it off until I absolutely could not put it off anymore. I ended up producing a winner right out of the gate.

This only happens to me with creative or writing tasks. Rote tasks I'll do ahead all day every day.

It's like when I wait until I can't wait anymore, floodgates open in my brain and it just flows. I don't edit myself before I start. I wish I could do that all the time, but there's something about the last minute that seems to inspire me. Maybe it's the lure of pulling it off and the adrenaline rush when I have. I've always been good in pressure situations. Do you thrive there too?

This is ourselves

Under pressure