Yesterday’s post was done in a rush. I was about to catch a 10 hour flight and ended up writing it in the airport prior to my departure. My time management skills have definitely improved over the years, but my level of efficiency and balancing deadlines with priorities and importance is still challenged from time to time.
I posted the article without rereading it as carefully as usual. I just had it pointed out how many typos and errors it contained. These things happen and an occasional mistake occurs, but this time it was just bad. It had me questioning my own literacy. This is presently a small operation. Whether people like the content for its substance is an entirely subjective assessment. However, poor editing, spelling and grammar are never acceptable and it is a problem that only ever occurs when the product is rushed.
Any productive adult will tell you there never seems to be enough time in the day. Some days that’s an objectively honest statement, and others the issue of time is generally more a derivative of our time management skills, or lack thereof.
Good quality or substance rarely comes from rushing. The stress of being in a rushed state is unhealthy and unproductive. We rarely look our best if rushed to get ready. Driving in a rush is nearly as unsafe and unhealthy as driving distracted or impaired. The state of being rushed can cause lots of stress and anxiety.
I subscribe to the expression of being able to work well under pressure. I probably took it to the next level and adopted the mindset that I needed to manufacture deadlines to even be able to get things done. Years of developed bad habits, first beginning in high school and college, in which all-nighters became the routine to meet the deadline of bigger projects or even to study for exams, are at the heart of why I let being rushed become the norm. Those bad habits caused lots of stress and anxiety. Unfortunately I could handle it and the academic results were positive enough to never force me to change the behavior.
Being rushed is not completely avoidable, but I have learned that better time management and preparation really are desired solutions to ending the habits that are nearly as old as I am. These changes have not come overnight, but yesterday’s post’s errors made me realize that I needed to work even harder to finally overcome the dangers of doing things in a rushed state. In the end, correcting any mistakes that may come from rushed behavior can be as, if not more, damaging if the time management was initially in place to begin.
