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Inspiration or Procrastination?

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I work best at the 11th hour. I just do. Something about the adrenaline rush of frantically trying to get something done brings out the best in me.

As far back as grade school, I remember rushing to finish my art project late the night before. Term papers in high school never were started weeks before like Sister Janet advised. If I was lucky, I’d head to the library a couple of study halls before the paper was due, gather all of my facts. Then, I’d bang out that bad boy on my electric typewriter late into the night before I needed to hand it in, typing much later than my mom wanted to hear the clickety-clack of the keys. (No comments about the fact that I typed out papers on a typewriter!) And college??? I perfected the last minute paper into an art form. I could basically lock myself in the library mid-afternoon the day before the paper/project/whatever was due, then just frantically type away in the college computer lab until it was done. Often times, this bled into the actual day it was due. But that paper would be done and literally hot of the printer when I handed it in to my professor.

So what were the consequences of my procrastination, you may ask? Good grades. High marks. Positive feedback written in the margins.

You see, long ago I realized that I was inspired by working to a deadline. Did I feel pressure? You bet. I stressed all the while I wasn’t doing something, worrying the entire time that it wouldn’t get done. But it was also strangely exhilarating.

Flash forward a couple (ahem) years. Am I still a procrastinator? When left to my own devices, I am. I would work late into the night on designs, knowing that what I was churning out at 2am was my very best work. But with age, and hopefully a little wisdom, I approach things a little differently. When you work on a team, especially one as great as the one we have here at Haley Marketing, it is really selfish to be as last-minute as I was in the past. You have other people depending on you, each with his or her own different work style. Procrastination doesn’t allow for other people’s ideas and creativity, simply because there isn’t time to do something any other way than the procrastinator’s way. You could be missing out on something great because there wasn’t time to explore anything else. Kind of like not being able to go in for the last minute score because the time clock ran out on the goal line.

The collaborative process here at Haley doesn’t allow for procrastination, but really works at giving our clients our best, but without all the stress. We work together as a team, with clear goals to provide our clients with the best marketing products and services. We each play a role and when we play within the system, great marketing happens. At Haley Marketing, I don’t need procrastination in order for that inspiration I am looking for. The synergy between our team and our clients gives me plenty of creative fuel…..without that sick-to-my-stomach feeling in my gut.

So, am I completely reformed? Well, at least I am at work. But what about that ever-increasing mountain of laundry in my basement? Well, let’s just say everyone still has socks, so it isn’t the “last minute” in the laundry world yet. When it is, maybe I can just buy a new pack of socks and put off the laundry until the inspiration strikes me…

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