“For all sad words of tongue or pen,the saddest are these: ‘It might have been!’”-Maud Muller John Greenleaf Whittier
I have some sad words this week. I submitted an application to Teach for America before we learned about resumes in class. During the lecture, it became increasingly apparent that my resume could have been much stronger than it was.
From this experience I have learned a valuable lesson: “Don’t do today, what you can put off til tomorrow”. Though contrary to the more popular version of the statement, I think it is better to “put off til tomorrow” for at least two reasons: (1) returning to a project with a fresh set of eyes often reveals what previously acclimatized eyes missed, and (2) it is possible to learn something new that will affect the project of yesterday.
The story of a frog being dropped into a pot of boiling water, though quite rude, illustrates why it is wise to put fresh eyes on an old project. After slaving over a paper for days, it is as if I started that paper in a pot of warm water that gradually reached a critical boiling point and cooked me as done as a nun’s romantic life. Taking a break and returning after a couple of days allows me to experience the paper like a frog being dropped into the already boiling water. I always see things I didn’t with my acclimatized eyes. Rather than submitting a paper immediately upon completion, it is best to “put off til tomorrow”.
As was the case with my resume, it is possible to learn something tomorrow that will affect my work today. If I had waited to submit my resume, I would have been able to use my new knowledge to dramatically improve my work. Again, for this reason, it is best to “put off til tomorrow”.
I do not mean for my advice to be taken as an extreme. Obviously, it would be unwise to postpone action indefinitely because of a hope of clearer vision or increased knowledge that would benefit the work at hand. Someone could argue that if I wait 20 years to submit my resume it could be much stronger because of the added experience I would be able to include in it. I am not suggesting postponing action indefinitely. I am suggesting that it may be wise to exercise patience and “put off til tomorrow” when circumstances permit, such as in the case of my resume.
Now what? Don't do today, what you can put off til tomorrow.
I have some sad words this week. I submitted an application to Teach for America before we learned about resumes in class. During the lecture, it became increasingly apparent that my resume could have been much stronger than it was.
From this experience I have learned a valuable lesson: “Don’t do today, what you can put off til tomorrow”. Though contrary to the more popular version of the statement, I think it is better to “put off til tomorrow” for at least two reasons: (1) returning to a project with a fresh set of eyes often reveals what previously acclimatized eyes missed, and (2) it is possible to learn something new that will affect the project of yesterday.
The story of a frog being dropped into a pot of boiling water, though quite rude, illustrates why it is wise to put fresh eyes on an old project. After slaving over a paper for days, it is as if I started that paper in a pot of warm water that gradually reached a critical boiling point and cooked me as done as a nun’s romantic life. Taking a break and returning after a couple of days allows me to experience the paper like a frog being dropped into the already boiling water. I always see things I didn’t with my acclimatized eyes. Rather than submitting a paper immediately upon completion, it is best to “put off til tomorrow”.
As was the case with my resume, it is possible to learn something tomorrow that will affect my work today. If I had waited to submit my resume, I would have been able to use my new knowledge to dramatically improve my work. Again, for this reason, it is best to “put off til tomorrow”.
I do not mean for my advice to be taken as an extreme. Obviously, it would be unwise to postpone action indefinitely because of a hope of clearer vision or increased knowledge that would benefit the work at hand. Someone could argue that if I wait 20 years to submit my resume it could be much stronger because of the added experience I would be able to include in it. I am not suggesting postponing action indefinitely. I am suggesting that it may be wise to exercise patience and “put off til tomorrow” when circumstances permit, such as in the case of my resume.
Now what? Don't do today, what you can put off til tomorrow.
I think you have a point, but I think it would be better to do it today, but wait for tomorrow to go over it again. Sometimes putting something off for tomorrow means that we don't have time to do quality work. By starting something today and going through the revision process several times tomorrow, we can put out our best results. Don't feel discouraged though, you could still hear back from Teach for America!
ReplyDeleteWhenever I had heard that phrase, I assumed that whoever posted it was being sarcastic about putting things off to the last minute. However, you have brought up a new way of looking at the popular phrase, which I appreciate. Sometimes it is crucial to look at projects with new eyes. Brittany has a point though. If you don't have anything to re-look at because you didn't start it yesterday, what is the point in waiting until later to gain inspiration?
ReplyDeleteGood luck on Teach for America! I'm sure you did great!