When you have something you know must be done, do you simply do it and get it over with? Or, do you put it off until the last minute? Or do you stretch it even further and can’t seem to hit the deadline mark?
In the workplace, those three types of people sometimes drive each other crazy! Even in a small business…
- I’m a doer type number one. If something is due on Friday and I know about it on Monday, I’ll do it on Monday. I’ll work late just to cross the activity off my list. While you can rest assured I’ll hit deadline, if you’re a doer #2 or #3, you know this so you’ll sometimes pile more work on doer #1’s plate without consideration of time already spent.
- Ben is a doer type number two. He may procrastinate, but he doesn’t offer excuses or list a bajillion things he just had to get done. More often than not, he meets the deadline… but just barely.
- My favorite brother is a doer type number three. After procrastinating till the end, the deadline passes with excuses of all the other stuff that needed to be done. Many times, he is not feeling well on the due date and has other things (excuses) of why he isn’t able to complete the task on time. When that happens (often), doer #1 (me) must make excuses and extend timelines.
In the workplace, a doer number three creates constant shitstorms for doer number one.
Today, I’ll spend most of my time relearning Alexa skill coding. 🙄 Not something I do often, I can’t move forward without a refresher. I have to spend my day doing this because doer #3 (my favorite brother) was late on multiple occasions with his “Iconic Insights” articles — and Alexa requires an update every seven days minimum.
Listen, there’s not a “fix” to this. I’ve tried scheduling the time every week on the work calendar. I’ve lied about deadline dates making them due a couple days earlier. Nothing works. Why?
You can’t set someone else’s priorities for them.
If an hour Zoom meeting with friends every week is more important than a work item to a “doer type”, I can’t change that. If there’s time for dinner out, and watching Netflix, and trying out new programs you’ll never use… but not time for work deadlines — I can’t change that either. No matter how many times I say, “so something came up today but it’s been on your calendar for a week,” nothing changes.
The problem is that I can’t change my behavior either. I guess doer number ones are enablers. If I stopped making excuses when doer #3 is late, or in this case let the Alexa skill be cancelled, nothing would change. You can’t change a doer’s number. They have to do it themselves.
What “doer type” are you?
