Rants and Ramblings: random commentary about culture, media, politics, technology and whatnot.

the power of panic

I can really identify with how Dave Shea describes what motivates him:

But nothing motivates me better than last minute panic. When things absolutely, positively must get done, they do. I’m able to juggle a scary number of things at once, but only at the last minute; when I have the luxury of time I waste far more of it than I ought to on YouTube or wherever.

(Seen on Eric Meyer’s Twitter feed.)

That’s my life in a nutshell these days. Granted, I’ve done a lot of prep-work for the big projects I’m working on, but there’s nothing like that deadline panic to push me to Workaholic Supergirl level when it’s most important. It’s sort of like how sugar dissolves faster in hot water than in cold.

There are limits, of course.

While in the midst of this deadline panic, you also have to be self-aware enough to realize (and accept) when you’ve reached the upper limit of what you can humanly accomplish in the given time frame. (Even if you’re in “superhero” mode, you’re still a mere mortal.) At that point, you have to be able to prioritize what’s left, delegate if you can, and manage expectations.

It’s a hard thing to do — I know it’s a challenge for me.

But the alternative is worse: Lacking that self-awareness — or the ability to admit that you’ve reached your limit — can be your own personal Kryptonite.