By Maddy Standish

The Virtues of Time Manag-

This is not a drill.

Of all the things I’ve learnt at SCA, I have been taught the true value of the greatest gift of all: Time Management. In all my short 20 years of living, this has been an area I’ve severely paled in. One where I’ve remained consistent since day one of my existence on Earth.

Born 10 days late, I started life as I meant to go on. I would have confidently bet on being delayed to the afterlife, as I whisper a weak excuse such as, “the River Styx was congested” or something similarly unfunny and unbelievable like that.

In these eight weeks, I have not been late once – neither by 5 minutes or by 40 – driven by the sheer fear of dancing in front of peers. There have been no sick (read: hungover) days and only one doctors appointment with absolutely no hairdressing ones. I experienced a catastrophic failure during my first portfolio brief after simply not leaving enough time to actually make the case study video – it crushed me to put my heart into an idea that was so poorly crafted, it flopped completely.

The puzzle pieces are beginning to come together and with every time I’m given advice from a mentor, taught how to write an insight, scamping with techniques, reiterating ideas, and told to start all over again, I feel things making more and more sense. While I’m obviously not there yet, I’m hopeful that I will be and attitude is the first step.

Do what you can to push through those walls without giving yourself unnecessary things to feel shit about.

This is a new era of Maddy. This is the era of leaving things slightly too late but not late enough that I’m panicking and teary. Adhering to deadlines, not merely acknowledging their existence. While this SCAB will arrive shortly before the deadline, it will not arrive after. I welcome my new existence with open arms and a willing soul. Watch out Ad Land, an on-time Standish is a force to be reckoned with.

I’ve been inspired by (Sir) Ian Hands, the Adobe wizard, who has never missed a deadline in his entire life. His is the kind of real story from real people that has motivated my newfound journey into timeliness.

I’d like to thank Diane for her time management masterclass which sowed the seed. I’d like to thank my parents for being so late to everything and nurturing me in their imperfect image. Finally, I’d like to thank my fans for the support every time I’ve severely fucked up my timing.

Lessons learnt: balance that diet, get that sleep, say no to (too many) pints, stay on top of rotas, listen to your partner, get that bread, and, importantly, manage that time. If I’m ever going to be the person that I want to be, the one with the realised ability and not just potential, then this is the first step.

It is rude and unprofessional to be late.

I am only one of those things and that’s only to those who don’t move down the carriage on the Central Line and to the person that leaves mangy avocado halves in the communal studio fridge.

This is my journey of self-discovery, development and damn hard work.