Turn the Page

Everyone hates deadlines.

The imposed time restraints force many to have panic attacks while skipping critical steps just to be “on time.”

However, for some, deadlines can work. As Duke Ellington famously said, “I don’t need more time. I need a deadline.”

But what if we had to complete the project before the unknown date of our death? What if running out of time literally meant running out of time?

Two important men in literature are experiencing this dilemma: Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Robert Caro and his famous editor, Bob Gottlieb. Gottlieb is 91, Caro 86 as they work hand in hand to finish the fifth and final volume chronicling President Lyndon Baines Johnson's career.

Both men have an expansive vocabulary, except for one word — retirement. Neither man will allow himself to slow down or compromise his work.

Gottlieb’s daughter Lizzie, a documentary film producer, after probing each man for access into their working relationship, finally was granted permission, with one condition — she wasn’t allowed to interview them in the same room.

“Turn Every Page” is a revealing portrait of two men who have enormous pride in their work, carrying the incredible responsibility of maintaining the excellence of the prior four books.

Despite the hourglass not being in their favor, both men work with the same patience and attention to detail as they did when they joined forces in 1970 to complete “The Power Broker,” Caro’s first book on Robert Moses.

Caro’s writing process is arduous. He researches with a meticulous eye, turning every page of the papers in the LBJ Library, looking for the unknown to improve his writing section.

Then he writes his first draft in longhand before sitting in front of his Smith Corona electric typewriter to finish the section. Caro’s methods take time —which he doesn’t have — but he won’t compromise.

For Caro, the quality of the work is all that matters. He sees no deadline, doesn’t care about the impatience of others’. His only concern is the page in front of him, and he never allows himself to think about the next day.

Caro and Gottlieb are always present, refusing to allow outside forces to interfere with their work. Both men don’t meditate or use special phone apps to avoid distractions; it’s simply part of their DNA.

Focusing on the quality of the work is their life. They spend each day “in the moment” — therefore, the potential of dying doesn’t enter their mind or make them want to take a shortcut.

Both men should inspire us all to focus on the quality of our work and ensure we approach each day with one goal — to produce our best. When we stay present, remove our phones, remove our past achievements from our minds, and dig deep into what we are presently working on, then we will become as focused as Caro and Gottlieb.

We might also want to remove the word retirement from our vocabulary.