A STITCH IN TIME SAVES TIME

This proverb contains a counsel of prudence; timely action very often prevents great loss. Steps taken early mean less labour, better success, less chance of loss or damage. There is a slight rent in your garment; if you put in a few timely stitches, further mischief may well be prevented.
Similarly, if you do not attend to your books in time, when the examination comes you are all at sea; the mischief is beyond repair.

But the average man is easy going and indolent, he seldom likes to do things today when he can put it off till tomorrow, that is why the average man is so ordinary, and the habit of not doing things promptly, of delaying and postponing, grows from one’s early years.
A schoolboy has set his tasks for vacation, the work is not pleasant, and so he procrastinates, postpones, he waits for a time when he has no gossip or games on hand. Ask him why he is delaying; the answer is “ oh I will do it tomorrow”.

But tomorrow finds him as unready as yesterday, and the work is never done; or he will say I have no time ;I had to do this, that and some other things; this reminds the word of Chesterfield to his son: “ it is an undoubted truth that the less ones has to do, less one have time to do it. One yawns, one procrastinates, one can do it when one wills, and so one seldom does it at all; While we are idling, time slips by and opportunities are wasted, procrastinating is a concession to weakness; to give it any countenance is to foster weakness.

A fruitful cause of delaying action is a feeling of complaisance or too much dependence on luck; much feel that somehow things will come put all right in the end. Many feel that somehow things will come out all right in the end. When they do not, they blame their luck. But proper steps taken at the proper time would have eliminated chances of difficulties cropping up.

Hence we should make up our mind to act promptly and at once; never leave till tomorrow what can be done today was the maxim of that most practical of all men, Benjamin Franklin. said we must at all times be well prepared for all things. The shiftless man is always at his wit’s end hence he seeks every opportunities of posting his duties, and he paves the road to ruin with intentions that never lead to achievements but the capable man takes immediate steps because he is ready at all times if he has rented his garment, he knows where to find needle and thread to mend it.

If he has a difficulty in his textbook, he is ready to tackle it immediately, before it complicates succeeding portions, he is strong-willed, copetent and efficient and never surrenders to indolence or apathy.


There circumstances where actions may be delayed, it is where you find any action is unnecessary because it is useless, in such case it is permissible to wait to consider, and then decide. Premature actions is unwise because something may occur that may make you regret it ;it is wise to be cautious. look before you leap is a maxim of wisdom. Barring these two exceptions, the proverb holds good in all cases. Procrastination always leads to loss; promptitude is the final arbiter of destiny.