This happens to me quite often. When I have a deadline to complete a particular work, I don't really start working on it until it becomes a race against time. I don't know why I put myself into this situation again and again, but I do.

In fact, this has been happening to me since my childhood. I didn't use to prepare for my exams till the last day and then I would rush frantically to 'study' as much as possible in a single day. I was lucky that I got good grades despite my shenanigans.

Funny how certain traits never leave you. It has made me realise one very important thing though. The sense of urgency is very important to get work done. And I don't just mean finishing work before a deadline.

Many great people throughout history have done remarkable work because they were aware of how urgent it was in the face of a limited time we all have on this planet.

The Illusion of Time

This is where most people falter. We have this illusion that there is always enough time to do something or that there will always be more time in the future. We don't respect time as a limited resource as we do with other things.

In reality, we have a very limited time on the planet and it all passes by without us even realising it. Great entrepreneurs and innovators have all been aware of this fact and it shows in the greatness of their achievements.

If we conduct ourselves with this realisation, it can definitely ignite that sense of urgency within us and we can do a lot more in the same amount of time. We all have that potential, we just like putting things off.

Imagine how high we can reach only if we use our full potential. If there is one thing that can inspire us to do that, it is certain death or the realisation that any day can be our last day. It sounds grim but it is certainly one of the best ways to keep us moving, and moving fast.