Timing the inconvenience

“A little window popped up saying my computer needed to reboot for an update. It let me delay the reboot for eight hours. The next time the window popped up, I put it off again. I’ve been doing that for about a week.”

I had this conversation with someone whose computer was in the middle of restarting. Her IT department had wanted to run an update. She had wanted to keep working.

In the end, time ran out and the update was forced.

The situation reminded me of the many times we put off necessary things in favor of other important (or even trivial) activities. Delay, defer, put off … but then we run out of time.

Sometimes it’s a computer reboot. Other times it’s an engine repair. Or a conversation. Or a cancer screening.

“Running out of time” isn’t always a catastrophe. It’s often just an inconvenience. But when we can, it’s best to organize our schedule so that the inconvenience is on our terms at a time we choose.

We might not be able to avoid the inconvenience altogether, but we can at least manage its timing.