This year, I completed my taxes on March 15, not April 15 as I have done every year in the past. I felt tremendous peace this past weekend as I spent the weekend visiting with my parents; I was able to be mindful and present with them while my sister, who had waited until the last minute frantically scurried around looking for her husband’s information and fearing she owed until the last minute when she broke through into the black…
In the meantime, because of poor planning we received a rather large return that was banked a few weeks ago; most of it will go to necessities but we did treat ourselves to a new television for our room and a pair of Samsung Note 2’s. I’ve been using mine for almost two weeks now.
Point? There are rewards for working ahead, for not procrastinating. Next year, I plan to finish even earlier! If you’re one of those like I was — frantically looking for a place to drop your return before midnight — I feel your pain, but it is self-inflicted. Make a note now to do something different next year!
In closing, here are some lessons on the psychology of taxes from Psychology Today: It's Tax Time | Psychology Today.
Todd Lohenry 