I have never had a paper come together on schedule. Never.
I have often resubmitted a paper on time.
But, never has it come together on the agreed-upon schedule - sometimes someone is fast, someone is late, or someone disappears.
No matter what, the paper never comes together as planned.
Why?
Well. Sometimes, it takes less time to do things than you expect.
I have a friend who will send completed drafts of papers, & I’ll ask, how did this happen? He responds, ‘I dunno, couldn’t sleep.’
Bc academic work is creative. When the muse strikes, you can complete an amazing amount of work.
The thing is, you can’t count on the muse striking.
Usually, when someone is late, they either had an unexpected event OR they counted on the muse & it didn’t deliver.
Usually, if it is an event, you just let people know & all is forgiven.
Over the course of a project, I had two divorces (true story), & I didn’t make a single deadline for four years. I was blessed by patient collaborators.
Usually, if the muse doesn’t strike - it’s far harder to explain to coauthors.
How do you explain that you sat down to write & ended up marathoning seasons of The Office or the Lord of the Rings (extended cut)?
I never do my part as scheduled if the problem is the muse.
Occasionally, people just disappear.
I have one friend who is ghosting a project- yes, that second revision will never get done - you know who you are.
I have another friend who promises to do the work, & six data collections later, they still don't deliver - you also know who you are!
Neither offers an explanation.
You can’t make a person finish a project.
So the projects languish & if you can’t accept the inevitable- the project will die a slow death - unless you step up.
So how to cope with the uncertainty?
First. Recognize that most people treat timelines as suggestions. They may or may not hit them (see the non-sleeper & the event above).
Second. Acknowledge that creative work can’t be forced. This is a plausible reason for not doing work (see marathoning above).
Third. Know that someone will have to take charge & it may have to be you. When you do, be kind about it (see disappearance one above).
Fourth. Understand some projects fail, esp. projects that only one person can finish vital elements of (see disappearance two above).
Fifth. Hedge your bets. BC it is inevitable people will be let down, have multiple projects in play. Doing so, will mitigate the career damage of a project failing to launch.
Sixth. Work with friends. It’s a lot easier to communicate, motivate, & bring projects to completion if you trust & know each other. People ghost on friends far less often.
Finally. Accept busted timelines, glitches, & failures are part of academic life. This is a long game. Letting go & moving forward makes it a lot easier to enjoy the job..
Best of luck!
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