Approaching Deadlines

I'm sure we all have an interesting relationship with deadlines. They keep us in check, but loom over us until we have completed our work. I'm sure all of us have felt some healthy amount of existential dread when thinking about something that we've yet to do.

Or maybe that's just me.

I once read about an idea called Parkinson's Law. This states our work will expand to fill its marked deadline. Even if it is set weeks, months, or years in advance, we very rarely fully finish our work until an actual due date. Many don't even start their work until just days or nights before, despite all the time that was given.

Perhaps I could be farther on my original work and perhaps I could have gotten a mentor by now. However, I find this phenomenon sticks with me. The amount of work I have to do stretches out until its deadline. Creating self imposed deadlines or using timing techniques certainly helps, but I still find myself stretching my work out until the due date. While this is true, I am still getting work done steadily and making progress.

I have contacted more analysts and am creating an outline for my research report. Could I be doing this faster? Yes, but rushing has never positively impacted quality. With 8 hours of original work research under my belt, I have found many helpful resources and studies that have worked to advance my understanding of the fashion industry, rather than just working on the creation of the report itself. Preliminary research is just as, if not more, important as the creation of the final product itself. I am hoping to prove my understanding and truly have a grasp on the outlook of the field, not just focus on a few topics that I will end up writing about.

I've chosen not to think too hard about where I could be; it's easy to get caught up in the "would've, could've and should've". I am working steadily, making progress, and learning a great deal along the way, and that's what matters.