Under Pressure

Deadlines. They’re inevitable in our industry, and we simultaneously thrive on them and despise them.

In my eight years working for the Pulse, there are a mere handful of contributors who didn’t need the looming notion of a date and time to crank out their best work. Given the opportunity for a wandering mind, a mind will meander; provided a time constraint within which a printable piece needs to be produced, a printable piece will appear.

Nevertheless, there comes a point when we have to stop, step back and say: “That’s it. That’s all the time we have for this project. Upload it to the printer.”

When we peruse each issue hot off the press the sting of those unaccomplished, last-minute tweaks remains fresh; however, when we flip through each issue of the year page by page in preparation for this edition, a rather different perspective is gained. Somehow, when absorbed in mass and with the benefit of a little time, it’s easier to grasp what was accomplished rather than clinging to what was left undone.

Our Year In Review meetings, with a handful of staffers gathered around a table, are some of the most laidback, affable interactions we have as a group. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of laughs and approval to go around our office throughout the year, but the environment in which we pull together each issue of the Pulse is not a sugarcoated menagerie of praise. It’s intense. We’re hard on ourselves, and we’re hard on each other.

While the Pulse has evolved tremendously since the first eight-page issue back in 1996, we understand that we’re still viewed by many as an underdog. It is with the mentality of a scrapper that we push to present Door County within each issue, as so many of our readers – whether just passing through for a weekend or striving to make a living here – have grown attached to this community. We recognize that the connection to the community translates into a sense of attachment to what the Pulse does (or does not) present on our pages.

I encourage you to be mindful of your own perspective as you examine these pages recapping 2011. Has the bonus of time and a bit of detachment given you additional insight into a situation, instilled more vigor in your original position or, perhaps, even allowed you to chuckle at a story?

Heading into 2012, there are sure to be many intense moments throughout Door County and the world. Our actions under pressure will define us all. The ability to maintain perspective throughout challenges – as well as the acknowledgement of when we need to walk away and move on to another task at hand – will be integral to overcoming the obstacles ahead.

At the Pulse, we’ll continue our love-hate relationship with deadlines, striving to put forth our best efforts with each issue. Our decisions may not be set in stone, but the conclusions will certainly be documented in ink.