It's beginning to look like Xmas… 2013

At the day thing I'm constantly frustrated by the last minute nature and planning of current business. Some of it is just the inability to schedule work and plan for what is coming down the pike. "ZOMG, I need this RIGHT NOW! Stop everything and get this new thing done!" That kind of stuff tends to blow everything out of the water. And if I told you that happens at least twice a week, I would be lying. But only because I'm low balling the number.

What is particularly frustrating is this is an example of the industry I come from and have worked in for 20+ years…

That's right. At this moment, out in the wild universe of design, the decisions are being made for Xmas 2013 (this is very similar to publishing calendars, BTW, so when writers talk about how slow publishing is, I see it as "that's what it should take" - here I should clarify that I mean publishing schedules, you don't want to know what it takes to publish a calendar for commercial sale). Designs won't be finalized until January or February, but they're developing them right now. Next Halloween… done already. Next 4th of July… China is already producing the products to get ready for shipment before the end of next month.

So, yeah, with a major project with a deadline of tomorrow looming and we're nowhere close to finished, ask me how much time I've been able to spend on it today. The answer would be zero, zilch, nada, nyet, none. Take your pick.

When I talk about eating because of the stress, now you have a little window into what it's like.

Yes, I know, every place has their issues. There's always last minute fires to put out. And lead times have been shrinking ever since I've been working professionally. The day thing, however, has made it an art form of its own.

So, should I rush this rush job before the rush job I was behind on because of the previous three rush jobs, just because you rushed in?