The temptation of procrastination – it’s something we know all too well. If the deadlines seem far away, we aren’t as urgent to complete the tasks piling up on our to-do list – like the one that reads “sort out KiwiSaver”.
Even if retirement seems like a lifetime away, you may have two very different retirement outcomes which are dependent on whether you procrastinate your retirement planning or not.
A recent survey by National Capital showed that only 20% of respondents aged 45 to 54 saw retirement saving as a priority. There is a big disconnect between Kiwis worried about their retirement fund vs those actually doing something about it. You might not be thinking about retirement right now, but like any investment, the sooner you make the right steps, the bigger the difference is going to be in the end.
Our friends Nick and Christina Hoogeveen at Nick Hoogeveen & Associates have written an article on procrastination – The Thief of Time. Have a read of what they have to say about it.
The Thief of Time
At this time of the year we endeavour to complete as much work as we can to enable ourselves to take a well-earned break over the holiday period. This limited time available, or deadline looming, forces us to complete our commitments in the remaining time available.
However during the rest of the year we do not seem to have the same level of urgency in our work ethic. While we always seem to consider that there are not enough hours in the day, we do not always seem to make the best use of the hours available. Once the hour is past we are unable to recover this time. This is often due to procrastination, resulting in the pressure that builds at this time of year.
The adage ‘procrastination is the thief of time’ should ring a bell for everyone. Time is an essential aspect of life for everyone. Time once lost, is lost forever.
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday” – Don Marquis
Usually, our time elapses because we are either late or we postpone doing things. The more we delay or procrastinate, the more we tend to lose out on many things of life. After all, time is money. By procrastinating, we are rescheduling the things in our lives that shouldn’t necessarily be overlooked. Procrastination could be considered another term for laziness.
If you are punctual and do things on, or before time, you gain respect from those that you work with. The ability to remain consistent with your choices is a proficiency that necessitates a lot of willpower. Not procrastinating requires awesome values, self-discipline and vigorous determination to do a task on hand at once.
By not procrastinating we are more successful in life emotionally, physically and mentally.
Some reasons for delaying work can be
- The task seems too big and you do not feel you can fit it in just now
- Unsure how to go about completing the task
- We feel the task is too hard so do not wish to do it
- Do not like what you believe the outcome of the task will be
- Completing more of the smaller tasks first provides a better sense of achievement.
Our challenge is to find a way to plan our time so we can deal with all our commitments within the timeline desired and provide the level of service expected from our business. If you want something done they say you should ask a busy person. This is likely because a busy person has learnt how to action all work and minimise any procrastination
Take back some of your “lost time” and choose some of the tasks you have been delaying to get them done now. Not only will you get the sense of achievement and satisfaction, but you will also likely find that it was not such a big task or as difficult as you thought it could be.
Time is money. The sooner you are able to sort out your KiwiSaver account, the better your retirement outcomes may be.
So, if not now, when? National Capital exists to help take the hassle out of sorting out your KiwiSaver account. To get personalised KiwiSaver advice, start by completing our KiwiSaver HealthCheck.