EMBA的小眼睛

The last minute glitch

I got a note from Joni Mitchell yesterday.

Well, not just me. Everyone who got her new boxed set got the note.

The note takes responsibility for some of the tracks on the CD not matching the order of the liner notes. Apparently, the brilliant artist needed more time, and cared enough about her work to re-arrange it until the last minute, and was brave enough to speak up and take responsibility.

So, it's not just you. The last minute looms large.

The glitch is in how we define the last minute. We can't make the feeling go away, but we can be clear about when the last minute occurs. And for professionals, it must occur before the deadline. Because they call it a deadline for a reason.

Now, long before your next last minute, do an honest assessment of the cost of going beyond the time that's been allotted for your work. In almost every case, you'll see that the benefit of having the last minute not coincide with the deadline is huge.

The last minute is a feeling. The deadline is an event. When professionals are involved, they shouldn't happen at the same time.