Partners in (serial) crime(s)

This is not about regular crimes. But it’s about crimes against procrastination.

Whenever there’s trouble to be made, we can find it just feels better do do it in pairs or, if we’re lucky, teamed up with even more people. If you think about it, the age old trope of bank robbers include a getaway driver and a robber - you know, like Bonnie and Clyde? Batman and Robin are also a duo. Charlie’s Angels scale that up beyond the duo. So do the Avengers. With all these though, they are partners within it.

Being a partner in crime comes with a few perks but also responsibilities. Now we can look at the problem we’re trying to solve or cause… from more than one angle. Someone else can call our bluff. We’re keeping each other honest - or dishonest. When we don’t pull our weight, we’ll get called out. We might see things more clearly - either because we are more focused on what we’re amazing at or because we are less involved with all the details. We know someone has our back. We feel there is a safe space we can navigate together. When we achieve something, we share the reward. Same for the failure.

Maybe the thing most people miss out on is FINDING the partner in crime. Now, THAT is the harder part. Sometimes it JUST HAPPENS. At other times, it requires actively looking for it. But what do we look for? What makes a great partner in crime?

First, it can’t be someone just like us. It’s basic chemistry: we need to combine different elements so that we create something new. Shared values and beliefs help to have a bridge between us, but we need to be complimentary enough that the others see something we don’t, know something we don’t, can do something we don’t, can offer something that we didn’t even know existed. That gives us the opportunity to do the same and complete each other. That allows us to create trouble we couldn’t create on our own. And basically… murder procrastination?

Second, it’s all about keeping momentum: When things get tough, do you find a way to keep going? When one is down, can the other pick it up? Because we know all of these things will happen. When you are together, do you push each other to grow?

Third: are you having fun together? Because that will make the crimes so much more pleasurable and just build on the chemistry and momentum.

Knowing this… it might be time to cause some serial trouble! Procrastination is in for a world of danger now.