Would you like to know how many times I’ve been glad I put something off until later?
I can think of exactly zero.
Putting things off feels good in the moment. You let yourself off the hook, but maintain some feeling of accomplishment and doing the right thing because you promise yourself you’ll get to it at some planned point in the near future. The funny thing is, later tends to keep getting later, and sometimes it never happens at all.

Often the task is small and relatively insignificant: taking out the garbage, changing your address with the DMV, replying to that one email. These tasks tend to get done eventually, when the metaphorical (or literal) garbage begins to overflow and stink up the house. But sometimes we put off things that are a bit more significant than house chores and emails: cleaning up your diet and starting a fitness program to get your health back, improving your sleep habits, cutting back on drinking, starting that business you’ve long dreamed of, changing careers. And unfortunately, it’s these tasks that tend to keep getting put off later and later. The larger and more significant the task -- the harder the task -- the more likely we are to put it off for later, and the more likely “later” is never to come.

For all effects and purposes, I believe we ought to assume that we will never be any less busy than we are right now. In my short time on this earth, I have observed (and had this corroborated from others, as well) that things never really get any less busy, and that if/when they miraculously do, new additions tend to rush in to fill the gaps right away.

Busy with college classes or graduate school? Just need to get through the semester and then you’ll have time and it’ll be more convenient? Well then there’ll be summer classes and teaching assistantships and studying abroad, and then internships, and then that first job, and then…

Busy with starting a career? Just need to get through the first year with the company and let things settle, and then you’ll have time and it’ll be more convenient? Well then there’ll be that promotion, and then company cuts and increased responsibility, and then another promotion, and changing jobs, and moving, and then…

Busy with family? Just need time to get the kids more independent, and then you’ll have time and it’ll be more convenient? Well then there’ll be required volunteer hours, and after-school commitments, and sports, and arts, and maybe the second and third child, and then caring for your own parents as they age, and then…

And then what? Retirement? Perhaps you’re content with putting off your health and your dream career and your personal pursuits until you’re in your 50s or 60s, but I’m going to guess not.

Maybe I seem unqualified to speak on such a matter, given my young age or relative inexperience. But I’m fairly certain I’m not just blowing smoke here. If you’ve found success with waiting for that mystical time “later” to roll around, chime in--I’d love to hear. But from my view, I’ve never regretted starting something important now, but I’ve absolutely regretted starting later. We are unintentional masters of postponement and justification, and playing into that mastery is a losing game.

It’s all pretty simple: doing the hard thing will never be convenient, and it’ll never happen unless you start.

- PS

5/5/17

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  Spend 15 minutes practicing candlesticks, roll to candlesticks, and backwards rolls

  
  

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  “Baby Murph”

  
  


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  For time:

  
  




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  400m run

  
  


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  75 squats

  
  


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  50 push-ups

  
  


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  25 pull-ups

  
  


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  400m run

  
  

*start and finish with a 400m run, partition the reps any way