5 days before a vacation with friends was set to conclude, I remember speaking with one of my friends about what time we should head to the airport when the trip is over.
Another friend who overheard our discussion remarked: “it’s too early to be spending time worrying about this, let’s figure it out in a few days.”
As someone who likes to plan, I admit that I was initially offended by the comment. After a just few moments of processing though, I had to admit that my friend had a point:
While some things surely merit worrying about in advance — this wasn’t one of them. Without detriment, we can safely worry about this a few days from now. And in the meantime, we can focus our full attention on enjoying our vacation.
Deferring certain worries to the future isn’t lazy — it’s about diligently managing your mental real estate.
When you put off worries that truly can wait, you free up space to focus on things that are more worthy of your attention.