Tomorrow is tax day... for those of us who procrastinate

Photo by Charles Rondeau

Well, it's Monday. And I have a huge task at hand, thanks to one of my defining faults -- procrastination. The extension I filed in April for my income tax return is looming. October 15th.

Here on the blog, I address issues related to common sense greener and healthier living. So why . . . gasp . . . am I writing about income tax returns? The answer is simple. It has to do with health. You see, when we procrastinate, we create unnecessary stress which often translates into issues with our health. 

Back in April, after I did a preliminary work up with my taxes and mailed in my checks to the federal and state governments, I packed away my receipts, worksheets, 1099s, etc. and forgot about it. As August flew by (don't all months seem to do that?), I started thinking about it again. I'll do it in September, I thought. By mid-September, I was sick in bed for over a week with a kidney infection that is still causing problems for me. I simply do not feel well.

The IRS does not care. The government may be shut down, but they're not about to give me a break. 

I had planned to dedicate last week to getting this done, but the opportunity for a large voice-over project which included working with my husband presented itself and I couldn't turn it down. It took up a lot of my time.

The weekend rolled around and I finally started tackling the dauntless task many of us, who are self-employed, dread. Yes, I could go to a CPA, but I'd still have to put together all my business expenses which, for me, is the most time-consuming and difficult of tasks. Maybe one of these years, I'll be more organized and hand the job over to someone else. Maybe. But that doesn't help me right now. 

I'm 75% done at this point, which is a good thing. I just have to work out the home office deduction and add up and enter all my business expenses (hotels, meals, supplies, equipment, etc.). It will be done and sent by tomorrow's due date, so I'm not really stressed at this point. I'm simply looking back over the last couple of months and thinking, Why didn't I do this before now? 

 You see, procrastination is something that eats away at your peace of mind. Whether it's about taxes, making appointments, school or work projects, paying bills, getting the house ready for company, meeting deadlines, etc., it has the same effect. And the effect is not healthy. 

So today I'm confessing this character flaw to you. For those of you who are not procrastinators, I applaud you, admire you, and envy you. I want to be you someday. But for now, I have to get back to the task at hand. 

Enjoy your Monday. Somehow, I'm going to try to enjoy mine.