by Bill Tierney
Sometimes people misinterpret procrastination for simply getting everything done as soon as possible. I think that’s a mistake, too. I don’t think every single message that I get –via email, phone or in person – has to be handled the moment I receive it. Granted, I hit the reply button a lot on a great deal of messages that I receive. I want to clear the plate in large part because there’s no reason for something to sit around in my in-box if I have an answer and there’s no harm in replying. If someone asks, “Can I see you next week on Tuesday at 2” what’s the problem with saying, “Yes.” If someone asks me, “Can you review this article within the next six weeks,” how difficult it is to look at my calendar and say, “No.”
However, sometimes it’s important to slow the process down, rather than speed it up. Such a point is particularly important when I’m vexed, or the person on the other end of the message is vexed. The student who is angry/sad/pissed off at me because of my comments on a paper is probably better able to hear what I’m saying if we wait a day or two rather than talk the minute after reading my comments. Similarly, I’m better able to fashion a rewrite to an article after time has passed rather than try to fix the article the moment I get the editor’s response that he’s not accepting my piece as I had written it.
When I have had a disagreement with an administrator I purposefully try to wait a while rather than let him or her “have a piece of my mind.” (There are not that many pieces to go around, either, so I need to be judicious). I don’t mean that we need to hold back in a meeting simply because someone said something I find annoying. I do know, however, that an immediate response is not always the best response. Timing matters, and people who don’t understand that often get themselves into hot water.
