My whole life I've been a procrastinator.
I used to tell myself that I did my best work in a crunch. Once the deadline got real, I became amped up and ready to go.
In eighth grade I wrote an entire 20-page story, typed it and illustrated it in two days. It was our big project for the semester and I was supposed to work on it for more than a month. I earned an A+ on it and it was an honorable mention in a competition. In case you're wondering, the story was about a minor league baseball player who was about to get his first MLB start because of the 1994 strike. Turns out the strike ended and he never got his shot. (Think that's sad, you should read my newer fiction.)
I didn't get my learner's permit until a month before I get my license because that was the minimum length of time you could have it. I missed one point on my driver's test for pulling up even with a stop sign.
My senior year, I scrapped my senior paper project the day before it was due, started over and pulled an all-nighter. I got the highest grade in the class. When I told my teacher I wrote it in a day, she was equal parts impressed as upset.
I believe this is a big reason I fell in love with journalism and doing page layout. There was always a tight deadline and a big rush. There was nothing like designing the sports section in a couple hours after writing a Big Monday basketball recap.
After college, I covered high school football and basketball games for the Tulsa World. It was 2007. Internet was rarely available, so after spending the last few hours keeping my own stats, I'd have to do post-game interviews and then rush to the nearest facility with internet or use dialup on laptop. That's right, dialup. Anyway, I'd have to type a lot of that story in minutes and then spend time sending it. I loved it.
In my last job, I'd often be given a month to work on a project, yet I wouldn't start it until I had just the right amount of time to finish it. It drove people crazy, but I got the job done, and I honestly don't think it would have been any better if I started it a month earlier.
That's part of "Tim Time."
The other part is tardiness. No matter how hard I try, I'm often running late.
To be clear, it's not as bad as Porter Time. My friend, Justin, has been known for this since college. He's been known to show up an hour or more later than he's supposed to. I'm not that bad yet, but I feel like I'm getting there.
I'm more like the five to 15 minutes late kind of person.
In the last week it got worse, and I punished myself.
I'm running social media accounts for two businesses. I had back-to-back meetings with them and they both ran over. I was supposed to leave the second meeting and then go dog sit for my friend, Margaret. By the time I got to her house, it was nearly half an hour after I told her I'd be there.
That's when she informed me that she expected the late arrival because of "Tim Time."
Ugh.
It now had a name.
That's not all that happened.
I also didn't finish a couple of magazine stories by the deadline, hence the above picture. I carried my laptop with me everywhere and would pop it open and type parts as I went. As soon as I passed the deadline, I decided to slap myself on the wrist and not publish a blog until I submitted the stories. I got one in Friday and then submitted the bigger one on Sunday. (To the handful of people who questioned why I wasn't blogging, I appreciate you checking in.)
I did write the "Tully" review late last week, but held back from publishing it. I thought I would have it up by Sunday in time for Mother's Day, but "Tim Time."
I have to admit that part of the reason for my delay in turning in one of the stories was because I was writing about two friends. That rarely happens, and I think it is way tougher than writing about a stranger. I should also clarify, that while I may wait to type something, as soon as I start project, I spend days writing it in my head. I'm still working on my first novel edits mentally, as well as a few other projects. It's crazy up there in my brain.
I've been going nonstop since February with only a two-day break from all work in that time. It finally caught up to me this week and I crashed. I battled a cold and slept for nearly two days.
Now it's go time. It's Mayfest/Blue Dome Arts Fest, which means Masa will be slinging empanadas Friday-Sunday. It's long hours and lots of work.
I'll make sure to find time to blog, and I'll do my damn best to not be on "Tim TIme."
Now I've got to run because I'm late to my next appointment.
Dammit.