It’s ironic, really, when you stop to think about it. Given that our society is one that is increasingly one bent on instant gratification, why is it that we are also very likely to find procrastination at every turn? We want everything and we want it right now, but we are also inclined to keep putting off the most important of tasks. How many of you left submitting your income tax return until the very last minute? Yeah. That’s what I thought.
This applies to just about every aspect of our lives, especially since we keep trying to cram more and more into what little time we have. Are modern conveniences really giving you more free time? Or do you still yearn for when we just may have 25 hours in the day?
As counter-intuituve as it may sound, planning for more time for each task may actually make you more efficient and give you a little more breathing space. Just an extra 10 or 15 minutes can make a world of difference.
Standing in Line Before the Next Guy
I experienced one of the better examples of this philosophy just last night. I buckled under the temptation and went to watch X-Men Origins: Wolverine on opening night (review forthcoming). I was hoping to catch an earlier show, but it was sold out, so I bought tickets for the next show. When I went to join the lineup for ticket holders about 70 minutes before the show, there were about 35 X-Men enthusiasts in front of me.
Ten minutes later, the line more than doubled.
Ten minutes after that, there were well over 120 people in line.
Those twenty minutes meant the difference between primo seats in the middle and neck-straining seats at the absolute front. I’d say that’s worth twenty minutes to me.
Rushing on the Road
We’ve probably all had our fair share of experiences with aggressive drivers on the road. Most of us may have had a few aggressive episodes of our own. They speed. They tailgate. They cut people off and weave through traffic. Why? Because they’re in a rush.
If you leave your house just 15 minutes earlier, you’ll have that buffer time to accommodate some unforeseen delays. By doing this, you won’t need to fly down residential streets to make it to your job interview on time. Being late for an interview is one of the best ways NOT to get the job.
If only Ed Lau understood this idea for coming to lunch. Maybe, just maybe, he wouldn’t be the last one to Dot Com Pho. Again.
Avoiding the Last Minute
The next time that you are planning to go anywhere or do anything, try to give yourself a little extra breathing room. Plan to leave the house 15 minutes earlier than you absolutely need to. Avoid putting things off until the absolute last minute, because this can ultimately cause a lot more grief than what it’s worth.
My clock at home is set 20 minutes fast just for this reason. I knew a person that we had to tell them that events were an hour before they actually started so that they would be there on time.
I’m always 30 minutes early for work or meetings so that I have the time to prepare and feel at ease when we actually start.
The downside for the proliferation of mobile phone to the masses is that it made many people take punctuality for granted.
Just ask yourself how many times you or your friends text each other (on the fly) to inform they’ll be late for a certain appointment.
The conveniences brought about by modern technologies had somehow tweaked our social behavior and made many people take basic values, roots & etiquette for granted.
Well, I drive fast regardless of whether or not I’m late. If I woke up earlier, I’d just be there wicked early. However, if I wake up late, then I’m there on time.
…I just happen to wake up even later than that.
I think what Ed said is true for most people, that they would speed regardless of how late they are. I think people just grow impatient of being in the car.
Also, that’s crazy to me that you had to show up for Wolverine 70 minutes early. At least there’s one benefit of living in a small town! A friend and I went to see Star Trek the day after it came out, showed up right before it started, and got primo middle seats!