Last-minuteness: it's a disease.

The "real" word for it, I suppose, is procrastination. But I prefer to think of it simply as "last-minuteness."

Actually, I think I do both. I admit, there are certain things that I tend to procrastinate about; things that I dread doing, and so always search for some excuse to put off or some diversion to delay doing the thing I don't particularly want to do.

But there are other times, frequent times, when I wait until the very last minute to do something I have to do, not because I dread doing it, but just because, well, I can't seem to help it. That might sound ridiculous, but since I have absolutely no excuse or explanation for it whatsoever, all I can say is, I can't seem to help it. Which makes me wonder: maybe this last-minuteness is a disease?

Every year, I have to file a notarized document (in a particular format, their format) with the entity that governs lawyers in my state, attesting to the fact that I have completed the required number of credit hours attending continuing legal education courses within the past year. Our year is March 1 through February 28, which seems rather random to me; our filing deadline is March 1. I have to take all the required courses for my year before March 1, and then I have to file my certificate listing those courses on or before (but not after) March 1. Which, this year, is a Sunday.

As of today, February 27, I am 2 credit hours shy of meeting my CLE requirements for this year. I'm allowed to take a certain number of credits per year online, which I can do at any time; so, tonight I am watching 2 hours worth of video on the art of oral argument and appellate brief writng. Fun fun fun for a Friday night, I tell you what. But I need to do it to meet my requirements; if I don't, I'll be disbarred. (Seems kind of extreme, don't you think? I mean seriously, how much do we all learn at these damn cle's anyway?)

I can file my certificate of completion by sending it in the mail; it will be counted as timely filed as long as it's postmarked on or before this Sunday. And since the USPS doesn't mail things on Sunday, that means I have to make sure it's at the post office before last Saturday pickup tomorrow.

So far, it actually doesn't sound too bad, does it? I mean, yeah, last minute, but no BIG deal.

Of course, we're required to use an original certificate form provided by our governing agency, that is already half filled out with all our registered information and such, in order to comply with the rules for reporting; and I have no fucking clue what I've done with my certificate form. I think it's around here somewhere. Hmmm.

And oh yeah, once I fill in the information on my form, to reflect these last-minute hours of CLE credit I'm earning by watching online videos tonight, and then put my signature on the form to attest that I have indeed met my CLE requirements for the year, I have to get said form notarized, before I can send it in for filing.

So, let's see: (1) I have to watch my last two videos tonight to earn my credit, (2) I have to find my certificate form, hopefully somewhere in my house, or maybe my office, or perhaps my car, and fill it out once I've watched those videos; (3) I have to find a notary public to notarize this certificate, once I find it and fill it out; (4) I have to find that notary before last mail pickup tomorrow, Saturday, so that I can get the form in the mail so that it will be timely filed. And, um, oh yeah, I have no idea who might be able to notarize my form (if I can find it) on a Saturday morning.

Sure, this conundrum could have been avoided had I simply done my duty timely, completed the required hours and submitted my form well in advance of the deadline. I knew it was coming, after all. And in fact, I've been in this position before, unfortunately, trying to do all this at the very last minute. I'm capable of doing it in advance; there's nothing prohibiting me from doing it in advance; yet so very very often I find myself like this - - - at home on a Friday night, hoping I can get in my last hours of CLE credit AND find my form AND get it notarized AND get it postmarked in the mail ALL within the next 17 hours or so (I think I need to get it in the mail by noon tomorrow to be safe), OR ELSE I'll get disbarred.

A normal person would be worried about this. Let me modify that: A normal person would not have put oneself in this position in the first place; if for some reason beyond help this nevertheless happened, a normal person would be worried about this. Yet here I am, writing this post, knowing I have all this to face, and thinking to myself: "eh, it's no biggie. I'll get it done somehow. Let's have another drink."

Cheers.

- - -

UPDATE: WooHoo! Form found! At 10 til 1 in the morning ... 11 whole hours to spare! And courses taken, proof obtained online; now all I need to do in the morning is find a notary and then make it to the post office before last Saturday mail pick-up, and I won't be disbarred - nice!!

(Btw, the form was under my bed. Seriously the last place I looked for it in the house before I was going to move on to the car and the office. Whew.)