Time Management - 1

This year, I have resolved to improve my management of time. I am tracking what happens to my life when I show up early, on time, or late to events.  As an attorney, law professor, and journalist, I operate in professional worlds where turning something in on time is of the essence. I emphasize to my law students that if they attempt to file a brief late to a court, the clerk will most likely refuse to accept it, and they will have committed what is known as “stupid malpractice.” In 2009, the Houston Chronicle reported that Texas attorneys failed to file briefs on time in nine death penalty cases, and thus forfeited their clients’ final appeals. Six of the nine men were subsequently executed. By being late, those attorneys committed lethal malpractice.

Similarly, in my journalism career, if you miss a deadline, your copy will not be printed. If you have something important to say, you have just missed your opportunity. This only had to happen to me once before I resolved to turn everything in on time.

While I have been careful to turn things in on time in my professional life, a car accident on 11 May 2010 has made me re-evaluate my just-in-time thinking regarding getting to events. Previously, I would calculate how much time it would take to get to a destination or meeting, and leave in exactly that amount of time.

On that fateful day, I was on my way to Santa Fe to interview two film directors for my new Entertainment Law book and to see the film “The Art of the Steal” with a friend. I left in enough time to make my first appointment.  I was excited about my day.

As I was paused at a stop sign, the person in front of me suddenly put her car in reverse and backed up. I was totally shocked, and remember thinking this is the last thing I need. This event came six months after my brother had suffered a heart attack, ended up in a coma, and I became his guardian. I was already spending a lot of time commuting to Phoenix to take care of matters for him. Now I would need to carve out time to heal the consequences of this incident.

A minister friend called what happened “a negative coinciding.” I had unfortunately been behind the woman when she took a call from her daughter and decided to turn around and go home without looking. The police officer advised against driving to Santa Fe, and I thus had to cancel all appointments. The accident required me to schedule doctor’s appointments, car repair, insurance company discussions, and lawyer visits. I started to wonder what would have happened if I had not been there when the woman backed up. What if I had left two to ten minutes earlier?

There is no way to know for sure what would have happened, as sometimes something that seems so negative saves you from an even worse event. But since I am familiar what did happen, I know that if I had left earlier, I would not have been in the space behind the distracted driver.

For this year, I plan to add a two-to-ten-minute buffer to my calculated just-in-time planning. I’m curious to see what happens when I’m early, on time, or late. This blog will document my experiences.