Thursday, September 29, 2005

The Late Procrastinator

As the old saying goes “the early bird gets the worm” or was it “better late than never”? Yeah, that’s it! I subscribe to the latter. You seem I am horribly afflicted with the “CPT disease”…..yup…… I just CAN’T seem to be on time. Here, lemme ‘splain….

I have a boss who is a micromanaging jackass. I am a manager. I am an exempt employee. Yet, she ROUTINELY nickel-n-dimes me about being 3-5 minutes late. This (probably due to the fact that I could definitely be a case study in “reverse psychology”) just makes me REALLY not put forth the effort to be here early. Because that kind of time frame is negligible. Yeah I know it’s the “principle” and it’s the “rules”. But in my opinion, if you value your employees,something such as 5 minutes should NOT be noted, cited, catalogued and preserved in your tiny little brain.

Most of this is probably because she and I OFTEN have different takes on things and I ROUTINELY challenge the dumb-shit she does, so this is par for the course with me & her. But it really makes me NOT want to be here 5 minutes or even 10 minutes before hand. Me being 5 minutes late is just petty. But here’s the deal as well, I HAAAAAAAATE being around her soooooooooo much, that I do NOT WANT to be even 1 MINUTE early for work!!! But I am getting off of the subject matter.

I find it difficult to be early or on time. It’s really a terrible fault I have. I am not like 30-40 minutes late when I am supposed to meet someone, but I might be RIIIIIIIIIGHT on the nose or a leeeeetle, wee bit late.

As well, I am a HORRIBLE procrastinator, much to the irritation of my boss. She occasionally points out that “ I should NOT wait until the last minute to write my charges (that she wants to read before I send them out)”. Look…. I write very well. I do NOT NEED your azz to do every “i” and cross every “t” I just don’t. So, I am of the position that I really do NOT care if YOU are irritated because I am doing this when I am comfortable doing it AND before the deadline. This is one thing that I am NEVER late on. Writing responses to the Dept. of Civil Rights or EEOC charges. Them mofo’s don’t play and a fine could mean my ass! So, we don’t play with that.

However, I am (and have AAAALWAYS been ) a person that works better under pressure. If you give me 6 weeks to do a project, if I were forced to do it in the first few weeks, the product you’d get would resemble cow dung. Because if it’s too far in advance, I have no sense of urgency, therefore I have a lack of attention to the task at hand. But gimme something that’s due in 4 days…… I can probably get it done in 1, but that 4 day window is juuuuust enough for me to work at an accelerated-leisurely, but steady pace. Then the product will be lovely, because I was focused. I just cannot “FOCUS” * picture me squinting and pursing lips* if it’s too far in advance.

One day, I’ll get better….maybe

Catch ya on the rebound,
r.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

You sound JUUUUST like me. I'm exactly like that and I used to be PISSED at myself for it, but it's just who I am *shrug* I'd wait until the VERY last minute to study for tests and stuff... and SWEAR that I would fail because of it, but wind up getting a B on the test. And you think I'd be happy with the B??? NOOOOOOOOOOO I'd be mad because if I could get a B studying a day before the test, I could have EASILY gotten an A if I would have studied the way I was supposed to. And I was a Political Science major, so you're talking facts, facts, and more facts, as well as a GABILLION papers. Whew... thank you Jesus that that's all over with. LOL

Anonymous said...

You sound JUUUUST like me. I'm exactly like that and I used to be PISSED at myself for it, but it's just who I am *shrug* I'd wait until the VERY last minute to study for tests and stuff... and SWEAR that I would fail because of it, but wind up getting a B on the test. And you think I'd be happy with the B??? NOOOOOOOOOOO I'd be mad because if I could get a B studying a day before the test, I could have EASILY gotten an A if I would have studied the way I was supposed to. And I was a Political Science major, so you're talking facts, facts, and more facts, as well as a GABILLION papers. Whew... thank you Jesus that that's all over with. LOL

Chubby Chocolate said...

I'm the same way when it comes to a deadline. I'm a last minute person, but it's tight w/ no mistakes.

ZED! You're wrong for that one.

Anonymous said...

**Sigh** Meet chief procrastinator number one. But my output is on point when I wait to the last minute. Budgeting time...I just don't have a knack for it.

Anonymous said...

I am like you in a way I will make it to work on time because I am noisy and have to see everyone else coming...but get my work done i will wait to the last minute because my creative juices flow better under pressure..

LadyLee said...

I too am a procrastinator, and I don't like to get to work on time... I've only met one or two diligent folks on my job. The rest of us are doing that CPT thang...

I have a huge window for when I can get to work (between 6:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m.), and wouldn't you know it, I come in as close to 10 a.m. as possible...

My boss isn't a jackass like yours. She knows that I am "special", and if she harasses me too much, or God forbid, micromanages me, I have a tendency to disappear for the rest of the day, don't return her pages, etc... She basically leaves me alone until right before something is due. Then she starts doing her Darth-Vader hard breathing thing in my ear. This is usually enough to get me going and piss me off at the same time (LOL)...

So don't stress! You're not the only procrastinator/CPT person out here!

Nina MM said...

Sounds like you had my job! An otherwise exemplary performance on the job was marred by supervisor's constant (and most often, surreptitious) complaining about me being 3-5 minutes late. I figure it this way -- if I work through my lunch everyday, and allow you to stand at my desk talking to me about shit when I'm trying to munch on my sandwich, and work late every night with you in order to complete things that you really should have had completed HOURS ago...why can't you give me a fuckin' break on the 9:03 thing? I mean. What color is the sun in YOUR world? I gave you 57 minutes of my time for free. You can't give me 3?

All of that to say though, Robin get your ass in to work on time. She'll have even LESS to say to you if you correct that problem. Don't give her the lynchpin for criticism. I'd rob her of that satisfaction, if I were you. Or do like I did -- find another job. One that has a 15-minute grace period! LOLOL

Disco said...

@nina: girrrrrl!!! I know, I know!! I am soooo trying to both (get the HELL outta dodge AND find a new job) because you are sooooo right! It just gives that Heifer (with a capital "h") the right to bitch about something else. Truth be told, she's a miserable, childless (6 miscarriages), no life having woman whose husband is a closet-racist and who touts her authority by announcing to arbitrary strangers (on the bus, on the elevator) that "oh, yeah, I know exactly what you mean because with me being the VP OF HR I see that all the time.....", etc. She is miserable and I can see that since I deal with her so much I am becoming more miserable while I'm here and that AIN'T me! So, I hear ya girl and I'm gonna follow your advice! :-)

Anonymous said...

I guess I got lucky with a pop whose motto was "it's better to be an hour early than a minute late." Or maybe not, cuz I been bored and waiting LOTS of times. Anyway, you shouldn't put up with that mess. Just tell the boss that you'll gladly stay past whatever time or find some other way to make it work, but these tight reporting requirements are neither productive nor particularly necessary. And if that don't work, maybe you could just set all your clocks ahead 10 minutes or something.

Disco said...

@O: you know what.... I tried that to which she replied "that's not the point...the starting time is 8:00...so it really doesn't matter if you are here late, it still desn't change the fact that you are supposed to BE HERE AT 8:00"....*grumble*....I have been getting better (a leeetle bit) at getting here on time though :-) Cuz HER behind AIN'T gon change! :-)

brooklyn babe said...

Oooh let's get together and pluck rubber bands @ all micromanagers...lol

I feel U, I work best under presssure myself.