Case in point: yet again, the process of going overseas reveals that I'm not gifted with forms. Of any kind. I'd go so far as to say that I'm crap with forms, in fact. So I put off filling them in, and the end result is that while we're due to leave in six days, Jem, Brydie and I have no visas. Up until four days ago, I didn't have a passport either. It's getting to the point where I'm feeling a little bit alarmed about it all, to be honest.
Of course, colleagues more knowing than I am assure me it'll be fine and I'm sure it will be. The average turnaround for an Indian visa is 2-3 working days (five at the most), and I've been counting on that being the case all along. Still, that moment in the Visa office when a very well groomed, helpful young man informed me that my 'husband's signature does not match his passport signature, unfortunately, and this will hold up your children's application...' was not my finest hour.
Approximately how long might this delay be, I enquired calmly, while adrenaline like a wild beast went coursing through my veins and I momentarily forgot my own name. Ah well, the well-groomed helpful young man told me thoughtfully, that would be hard to say, but five working days at the longest... and when was I hoping to travel?
"In five working days, actually..."
Possibly smelling my adrenaline, he did a workaround. And I'm sure that the visas will arrive in time.
But it begs the question- why do I put things off? Why does anyone? Especially when the stakes are high- ie you may not be able to leave the country if you don't fill in the forms leaving adequate time to lodge them? In the back of my head, I was doing the numbers and reassuring myself that all was well, but really, was the idea of printing the details of my children's births, their non-existent occupations and my own phone number (albeit in triplicate) such a horrifying thought that I needed to push it so close to our time of departure? Actually I don't think it was filling in the forms that was the problem. It was the niggly nailing down of certain other details. It was completion. Perhaps that's the problem. Perhaps I have a COMPLETION problem. No time for the psychology of that, but I return to the question: why do we put things off?
I don't know the answer to that. But I bet I do it again. And therein lies the mystery, don't you think? Wouldn't you imagine that someone as reasonably highly evolved and dare I say intelligent as myself might learn a lesson from the stress of a close call and pick up their act? (I mean, assuming we actually make it onto the plane... I'll keep you posted).
What's the answer to procrastination? Why do we leave it late when we know it has to be done sooner or later? Insights? Tips? Professional therapists numbers?
What's the answer to procrastination? I'll tell you tomorrow!
ReplyDelete(Ba Doom Tish. I'm available all week)