Waiting it Out

Recently while attending a series of sessions relating to design, technology and marketing, I was confronted with an interesting question.

Why do people wait until the last minute?

Where did this procrastination society spring up? It seems like we rush around to get things done, to meet deadlines. That's when it hit me.

When I'm approached with a new task, let's say a design competition that I want enter, the first thing I do is check the deadline date for entries. Do we put things off because we're just too busy to get to them or do we put them off because we no longer get an "early bird special" for being on time? Somehow being late has become the norm.

I love this from Seth Godin:

"Airlines and others penalize people for planning ahead by instituting non-refundable fares. We don't get treated like royalty for signing up early, and the penalties for waiting often seem fairly small."

As marketers do we offer enough incentive for someone to purchase our products NOW? Or can they walk away from our information and feel that they can catch it later?

We've all heard way to many TV Special commercials. Most likely you can quote the last words, "and if you call in the next 10 minutes we'll DOUBLE this offer."  We roll our eyes or better yet, change the channel.

Let's strive to be different, when you hear about an opportunity, jump on it. When you get  a notice in the mail that you're interested in, act!

Similiarly, let me throw in a little shameless self-promotion here, students who are reading this blog, don't wait until the day before the Student Identity Competition Deadline.

If we each strive to avoid putting things off another day, do you think our clients will do the same? As designer's does the poignancy of our work dwindle over time if not acted on immediately?