I used to be so much more productive in high school. I had so many assignments back then and completed so many of them! I took like 6 subjects (not counting physical education) each semester and had homework every single day in every one of those subjects. PLUS there were tests to study for, papers to write. I somehow completed them all and turned them in on time, which seems like an amazing feat to my 30-year-old self now, considering I get worried nowadays about just one deadline, blow some deadlines including paying the internet bill.
Deadlines motivate people: the origin of the word is the very definition of motivation: during the Civil War there were lines drawn where if soldiers passed into enemy territory, they would get shot and die. If I were a soldier during those times I'd make darn sure I didn't cross over that line. Nowadays the motivation for meeting a deadline (and not crossing into being late) are not as extreme, mostly monetary for adults and (?) for high school students, maybe the shame of getting a bad grade, parents' disappointment/ criticism? Pride? Makes me really wonder what motivated me as a high school student, because even money, one of the more persuasive motivators, doesn't motivate me sometimes to make a deadline, like getting into a parking garage before early bird hour rates end. It must have been a blend of just always having gotten things done on time (that's just how it was in our household, you have homework, you get it done by the deadline, no questions ask).
America, and the world really, needs more deadlines. The recent Republican healthcare bill, for example, kept dragging on and dragging on, with Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell constantly extending time to get the votes needed to pass legislation, or even get the House together to debate the bill. There was no deadline in place to say, "hey, if it doesn't get done by this date, it's over." Sometimes deadlines will make people cranky and cause some minor mistakes due to rushing too much, but sometimes if something is not meant to be, no amount of time is going to allow it to be, and delaying is just wasting everybody's time.
Deadlines force me to be more proactive earlier, and in most cases where I don't plan ahead and wait until the last minute, at least it focuses me on the task at hand so my mind doesn't branch off into other directions with the idea that it'll get done at some point. In this era of short attention spans and a million other interesting things on the Internet, that happens easily, and it takes a real concerted effort or effort (damage, financial or otherwise) to get me and other "millennials" (darn those millennials ruining everything) to get things done.
Extreme idea, but it speaks to what's troubling millennials and the new generation nowadays: What if there were "deadlines" for people to accomplish certain things in their lives, like if you pass the deadline you don't get a chance to do it anymore? For example, college: if you don't go to college by age 24, you can't go anymore. If you don't go to graduate school by age 30, you can't go. If you don't get married by age 32, you're not eligible anymore. If you don't have a child by age 35.. (which is an actual biologically-influeced number, unfortunately for women). Millenials live longer, think they have all the time in the world, always think everything will eventually work out, marry later, continue living off their parents later (I'm a little guilty of this too, being hypocritical). But sometimes it doesn't, and there's no way to get some of these people to change their sluggish ways because there's just no motivation (and parents' nagging doesn't count). There is already a general idea of "societal deadlines" in life highlighted by "30 places to travel before age 30" articles and all that, but not much motivation other than "I'm getting old!" half-joking laments that don't get taken that seriously because people can always make their faces look young (except me, I look old for my age).
Just as an example of the magic of deadlines, in our fantasy baseball league (and in real major league baseball) there is a trade deadline every season about 60% of the way into a season where no trades can be done afterward, which forces teams to decide which players they want to keep for the rest of the season and which they don't and make honest evaluations about their own team, and go off need. One can argue that there doesn't need to be a trade deadline, just let trades happen any time, but there's really nothing like the trade deadline to ramp up activity, managers suddenly become very active and it engages everybody in the activity, creating a domino effect of "oh shoot everyone else is getting the good stuff, I gotta act!" Sure it causes stress and panic, but results-wise, it definitely greases the wheels and forces the action. (And in a fantasy baseball league, it's fun! I got Twins 2nd baseman Brian Dozier and Cubs quiet but deadly pitcher Kyle Hendricks today, looking forward to them working magic the rest of the way!) I think the world needs that results-oriented approach a little more (think global warming, demilitarizing, nuclear arms ban, etc.) We can all agree that the time is now; we just need a deadline to make us act.
Fantasize on,
Robert Yan
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