This letter comes from one of the senior-most editors at my company. I just can't get it together anymore. I feel like it's a perpetual uphill battle.

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Please read this carefully – I mean every word:

For seven weeks now, you’ve been giving everyone a runaround on this story. Two weeks ago, I even took the trouble to explain to you what a story dropped from a print publication on deadline means, to those of us who have to bring it out.

You’ve had a long enough rope, far longer than any person in this organization ever gets.

If by end of the day tomorrow that story is not in my box, ditto the pictures, I will be sending an official mail to XXX and XXX, informing them that you will no longer do any work for any section of XXX over which I have a say.

What the effect of such a communication will be to your prospects here, you can judge for yourself.

I don’t like having to take extreme measures, but I like it even less when people take deliberate advantage of good nature.

Can you get the story and picture ready in time? If not your going to need a miracle(like a snap shot of a man dressed in a chicken suite robbing a bank and your personal account of witnessing the event.)

Sounds like he is giving u a chance to get it together. I dont think you will get fired if you do what he says and stay on top of things from here on out..

This is from the same editor, two months ago. He doesn't 'believe in ADHD' and keeps telling me to 'grow up'.

Does not his quick diagnosis of me sound like classic ADHD? I'm so depressed...

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You write well – with an eye for detail, a good ear for dialogue and an easy turn of phrase. You frequently transform a normal news brief into an extraordinary story, thanks to your creativity and unique POV. Those are natural gifts it is impossible to teach or to learn – the tragedy is, you don’t seem to know the value of maximizing this ability, before time and tiredness drain it out of you.
If/when you understand the importance of deadlines, you’ll make a more than decent journalist.

Does not his quick diagnosis of me sound like classic ADHD?

It does in deed. It sucks that he does not have understanding of ADHD(despite
the fact he can define it :) ). But I guess the reality of the marketplace is even if he could write a doctoral thesis on ADHD it might not help you. Business just cares about production.

whether he believes in ADHD or not is irrelevant right now. Sounds to me like you better log off the PC and get that **** done if you wish to maintain your employment status.

I made it!

I made it!

Great! To be honest your who situation sounded like a plot line of a movie about a reporter for a newspaper getting an ultimatum from the editor to get
the story in or else. :) Though your story had to bring down a crime boss and/or corrupt leader.

Not sure if your really in India but if so what do you think of this:

http://www.hugthemonkey.com/2008/06/partying-hearty-on-oxytocin-in-india.html

I think people like getting messed up the world over, myself included. But benzos and opiates are a strict no-no.

And with a mango and a cup of garam chai next to my computer, where else could I be but India!

Sirginho, I would take this second letter as a second "warning" and do whatever you need to do to not give your senior editor any more reason to be concerned about your deadlines. He/she has others to answer to, you do not want to give this person further concern, as you know there are probably many good writers that would not worry their bosses. Have you thought about getting some coaching help to help you with productivity and deadline issues? It does not sound like you will be getting any more leeway in the future......

I feel for ya, I wish you the very best!