Most of us are all too familiar with the often dreaded deadline and frequent panic, anxiety and even nausea that can accompany a looming zero-hour. The proverbial clock on the wall eventually strikes twelve and we have either triumphed in meeting our goal or are left with the sting of being late.
My deadlines are mostly work related and I usually find the pressure of a deadline extremely motivating, for obvious reasons. Sometimes the work is rushed and often, when reviewing the final product after the fact, I see lots of improvements I’d have made given an extra day or two to see it through new eyes. But the work gets done and items get ticked off the to-do list.
Recently I needed to prepare a fifteen minute presentation to a provincial political panel on violence against women. This is an issue near and dear to me and I’ve spent all my working life in non-profit sector related services. Colleagues were excited our organization had this rare opportunity. This was an important moment and we wanted to have maximum impact delivering critical messages. Six days’ notice was given to prepare.
It took a few days for panic to set in. My usual approach was not working. I couldn’t seem to prioritize, initial notes fell flat and the usual confidence that it would come together began to wane. Two days before the presentation my mind was a jumble of frenetic, disjointed thoughts. It became clear that I was absolutely in trouble and was not going to pull this off. Why hadn’t I anticipated being selected to present and begun the work earlier or pulled together a focus group to help? It was too late for either option.
Such irony: that I could not even begin to articulate something of such immense importance to me. It reminded me of a greeting card inscription that I’ve never forgotten, ‘To those we love the most, we can say the least.’ I wanted my words to have a powerful impact on the panel members, to incite outrage and speed up their demands to end violence against women. This was a tough lesson. There was simply not enough time to match the written word with the emotions and I could articulate nothing while immobilized with panic.
Presentation day arrived and I printed my lack luster paper with lots of extra spacing, anticipating revisions with a colleague on the drive to Kitchener. And revise, we did. Tweaking continued up until the ultimate deadline, the moment we took our places in front of the panel. Our input was well received and panel members had good questions but I was relieved when it was over.
Among the academic, legal and health services representatives also participating that day were women from three other similar services to ours; like minded ‘sisters in the struggle’. One of them had an emotional moment as she presented, overwhelmed with the importance we’d placed on the occasion. You see, we who engage in this work believe we are changing the world. Change does not happen as quickly as we’d like so the relevance of public discussion of these issues is not lost on us.
There is strength in numbers. Combined, input from the ‘sisters’ was outstanding and, I believe, the most important information the panel received all day. Our individual contributions added up to big impact collectively.
The nudge that a deadline provides is essential for getting things accomplished. My challenge is to not let a deadline be an impediment when it comes to something really important to me. I understand the value of effort and struggle and that getting something on paper is better than doing nothing. In a perfect world I’d have some days to spare for review when approaching a deadline. Achieving that elusive, impeccable expression of your thoughts takes time and reflection.
Being early for a deadline is the best case scenario. Being early also helps with last minute circumstances, some beyond our control, that can throw a wrench into the best laid plans.
So, I have a new approach for the future. I will have pre-deadlines, so I can twist and turn the words to my heart’s content, until I cannot imagine even one more change. Well, there may always be ONE more…. but I’ve already started my next blog… actually, the next two!
