Due Tomorrow = Do Tomorrow

I constantly struggle with due dates, and I’m unsure why. For as long as I can remember, if a due date is too long in the future, it just doesn’t seem urgent, so I put whatever it is off until the last minute. I even do this when getting to appointments. I’ll set a calendar alert 15 minutes before I need to leave. Still, I know I don’t need to leave yet, so I don’t get ready to go until I’m supposed to be leaving and usually arrive at my destination precisely on time or a couple of minutes late.

In college, I put off assignments until a day or two beforehand and was a serial night-before-test crammer. In my full-time corporate job, I don’t look at things until they have to be done. When it comes to social media, I only manage to get content edited and ready to post the day I plan to post (or a few days later than I hoped).

I have also tried setting mini-deadlines throughout projects, but because I know those are not the “real” deadlines, I usually blow right past them. I only tend to get things done when I know I won’t be able to do them right before. For example, when my family and I go on vacation, I know I’ll need to have my content edited and on my phone before we leave for the trip. I’ll plan everything a week or so ahead and edit the content, usually the night before we leave. Then, it’s ready to go on the trip, and I post when I plan to. However, this has not entirely helped when I’m back home. Knowing I can access my footage and computer at home, I am not nearly as good about editing ahead of time.

I want to explore the vacation trick more, though. I do find that when I am most inconsistent with posting consistently, I ignore due dates and edit the day I post. However, when I am most consistent, I have a few days of posts already on my phone, ready to go.

I need to shift when something is considered due. I hope it will be more consistent if I make the content ready to post on the due date instead of the actual post date. Maybe I should try having a week’s worth of content edited by the end of the weekend. This pre-editing of the content would also help remove friction when I inevitably get too busy during the week because all I would have to do is click the button to schedule something or go to the social media app and post something already saved in drafts.

If you’re also struggling with putting off things until they become urgent, you’re certainly not alone. I don’t have all the answers yet, but I’m committed to trying to do better and sharing everything that works and what doesn’t. Together, we can get better.