When in Doubt, Always Take the Earlier Train

Metaphor = early is on time, doing something earlier is better

The other day I went to Zurich for a mini-conference on Regenerative Living. I planned which train I needed to take plus the walking time once in the city. It was perfect timing with minimum time spent traveling and arriving a few minutes before the event was set to start. Perfect. Only it wasn’t.

I left the apartment with enough time to walk leisurely to the train station. When I arrived, I noticed that the train was delayed by 4 minutes. Not a problem. They can usually make up that time between Rheinfelden and Zurich. Plus, I had plenty of alternate connections in Zurich to get where I needed to be.

Ten minutes later the train was canceled. This, however rare in Switzerland, was definitely not part of the plan. The trains to Zurich only pass through Rheinfelden twice an hour so I had to wait another 35 minutes for the next train. I found a place on a bench and waited.

While I waited I lamented the fact that I was actually ready to go quite early and could have caught an earlier train and avoided this whole delay.

In life, we constantly have to make plans, big plans, and little plans, and simply making a grocery list is a plan. As a lifelong procraftinator (a person that crafts as a means to procrastinate) I know a thing or two about pushing my plans to the edge. We can’t always control the world around us so when we have made a plan, it’s best to execute the plan as soon as possible to avoid external delays.

This advice works for homework assignments, travel plans, submitting applications for employment, and more!

Please ignore this advice for doing stupid things that will muck up your life.