Prompt June-II

Thriving With Deadlines

Because I am sure chaos has structure to it

I am good with deadlines. Well, I’d better say that am at my best doing things at the last responsible moment. When I am eager to deliver a quality product, I start early. Well, I’d better say that I think about what I want to do. I’m not actually doing anything.

When the deadline draws closer, I become nervous. So nervous that I am sure to postpone doing some actual work. I am biding my time, waiting for the perfect idea, waiting for the perfect moment. Well, I’d better say that I am stupefied with inaction due to nervousness.

A clear problem becomes a jumble in my head. I have given the subject quite some thought by now. I have seen it from all perspectives and analyzed it to bits that are scattered around my brain. To me, it’s there. If someone else were to look inside my head, they would see chaos. How can nervous wreckage of bits and pieces ever be solid? It’s total chaos.

When other people see chaos, I see opportunities. I see hidden prospects. A colleague interviewed me once. I told her that I liked chaos. She reflected on this and provided me with a mirror: “You say your proudest achievements are about structure. You don’t like chaos, you like creating structure out of chaos.”

My wife always says I am procrastinating. That I should start earlier. That I would finish without any stress. She’s probably right. But I am way too fond of chaos to listen.

I thrive with deadlines. Not because they push me to work, but because they fuel my longing for structure. And I always find it in chaos.

Maybe I can tell her that next time she wants me to clear out the shed?

Today’s KTHT’s prompt is Chaos is fertile soil for creativity. You just received a peak into how I work. I actually listen to my wife a lot more nowadays. The last responsible moment usually comes down to working in the middle of the night. I no longer fancy losing sleep over work.