In college I once pulled three all-nighters. In a row. I wasn’t trying to ace the finals. I had to cram, just to pass. It wasn’t a report card I was proud to show my parents. And, just before the last final at 7 pm, I lay down (exhausted) to take an hour or two nap. I awoke in the middle of the night, in a panic, 7 hours late for the test. No way to reach the professor. I sweat it out until office hours. He had mercy and let me do a make-up.

This experience taught me one powerful lesson- I didn’t have the stomach to be a procrastinator. It made me too nervous to put things off. Even in the ensuing two decades in television news, when stories broke late, assignments changed mid-day, and 6 pm came, ready or not, I never was the kind of reporter who liked to crash edit, 30-seconds to air. Instead, I would mentally note the start and finish of each sound bite during the interview and write as much of the story as possible in the car on the way back to the newsroom. Even if I was car sick, I liked the feeling of getting a little ahead.

When I started coaching executives, I realized that a lot of seasoned, smart leaders must never have had a scare like I did. They were starting to work on their presentations way too late. As in a day, or two, or three before the event. Even a week. It wasn’t enough time, not when so much was riding on it. They ended up rehearsing at 9 pm while sitting in bed while their spouses (who were hopelessly trying to watch CSI Miami). ”Honey, how does this sound?” “MMM? Oh……sounds great, dear.” ”Are you actually listening?” “MMM HMMM.”

When they received feedback to work on their presentation style, or executive presence, it wasn’t that they didn’t know how to present. They just weren’t ready to present. They needed to learn the art of getting a little ahead.

So here’s a concept I stole from my TV days that our clients find helpful in preparing a presentation. Backtiming. Television producers start by looking at the time they need to be OFF THE AIR and work backward to schedule stories, weather, voice-overs and chit chat. In preparing your presentation, start with the end date, look at your calendar, and block off time (white space, clearly marked for this purpose) for all the research, writing, vetting, and rehearsal. Look at your calendar, and you’ll see that you are already just a little ahead.

I don’t know about you but I’m definitely too old to pull all-nighters.