The problem with a can-do attitude

In book publishing, being Super On the Ball is a particularly hard-to-tackle form of procrastination. A note on what healthy time management *really* looks like in this industry. (Hint: not me.)

Those of us who are successful in book publishing—authors, agents, editors, the lot—have a few personality traits in common. For one, we are supremely interesting, IF I DO SAY SO MYSELF: perceptive, witty, curious, sensitive, empathic, fun. Back when parties were still a thing, most of us were fabulous at them. Sob.

We are also survivors. By which I mean: we make our own way. We imagine new possibilities into being, build bridges to previously inaccessible destinations, and drum up lucrative gig work from scratch. Through our writing and in some cases our lived example, we expand other people’s sense of the possible.

Because we are survivors, we are also—womp womp—huge procrastinators. Yes, this is a function of survival. More on that in a sec. For now, let’s stay focused on this simple truth: we are all procrastinators, nearly to a one.

I know you are, but what am I?!

Many of you are my clients and as such are intimately acquainted with my work style. Which means you are probably now screaming at your computer in indignation. ANNA? OF ALL PEOPLE?IS TELLING ME? THAT I AM THE PROCRASTINATOR IN THIS RELATIONSHIP??? ANNA?????

Yes, Anna ye pot is calling the kettle black.

I am definitely a procrastinator, too. I am what you might call an “overt procrastinator” or, I don’t know, a Frightened Turtle: someone whose genius moves at a tortugan pace and alas cannot be hurried along without vanishing. This biological fact somehow manages to surprise me anew every time I work on anything, even after 35.5 years of consistent reappearance.

Like many other Frightened Turtles, I’m not always great about setting expectations about my work pace—for myself or others. These mismatched expectations cause me perpetual frustration, frequent shame, and the occasional few hours’ catatonic retreat into my shell. I don’t think I’ve done a household chore in eight months that hasn’t been motivated by work panic. Meep.

We turtles are not the only animals in the meadow, however. We share it with a second and equally common creature: one you might call a “covert” procrastinator or a “Frenzied Rabbit.”

What in the name of the Watership Down is a Frenzied Rabbit?