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| February goal: Gather 2017 tax documents |
As January wanes, mailboxes will begin to fill with all kinds of documents for the 2017 tax season. I will dutifully place each important document in my special tax pile and vow to make this year different.
This will be the year I file taxes on time.
Now, I'm not a scofflaw. Every year that I file late, I'm within federal parameters. The extension is filed. Estimated taxes owed, if any, are paid. I always meet the final Oct. 15 deadline.
And I'm always exasperated with myself. Why did I put off what could have been done earlier? Why can't I sort through that pile of documents in February or March like most Americans?
Some tasks feel so dreadful that we procrastinate until the last moment, and then, when we actually finish, we wonder: What was I so afraid of?
I take solace that I'm not alone.
I see similar behavior with some of my middle-school students, the ones who struggle to meet interim deadlines, who stay up late the night before a project is due, who struggle to learn their lesson from the previous project.
I recognize the panic in their eyes as a due date nears — and I celebrate when they reach their goal. Procrastination is a heavy burden to carry, and there's blessed relief when that burden is set down.
We need a reminder during the process — and especially before — that we can do hard things.
Those students who struggle with major project deadlines turn in most assignments on time. They offer creative solutions to problems. They read multiple genres with passion and curiosity.
They've got all the potential in place to tackle an overwhelming project, manage their time and turn it in on time, without losing sleep.
Me, too.
There are many tasks I accomplish that are much more difficult than gathering paperwork and totaling expenses in time for April 15 (or a few weeks earlier, to give my long-suffering accountant ample time).
I meet deadlines every day, both in the classroom and at home. I've learned to troubleshoot and repair all kinds of problems — broken garbage disposal, misbehaving wireless router, jammed photocopier. When I want to learn something new or understand an issue better or just find solace, I seek articles or books (or YouTube videos) written by experts.
My role as a single working mom has pushed me to limits I never expected. I make mistakes all over the place, but I also wrestle challenges every day of the week.
This week alone, I juggled a full-time job, some smaller jobs on the side, a child with flu and multiple phone calls and appointments. I have no excuse for late taxes.
Last October, after I arrived home from my final accountant meeting of the year, I told Cooper and Katie that I was weary of my late filing ways. I explained that the year after Daddy's death, there was just too much to take care of by myself to get taxes filed on time. That single year of filing an extension somehow turned into eight.
"It's not difficult, though, and I feel so accomplished when it's finished," I told my children. I asked for their help for this year.
"Remind me, starting in January, that making the April deadline won't be that difficult."
Maybe as I fix my errant ways, my children will also learn what to do — and not do — when their time comes.
Tyra Damm is a Briefing columnist. She can be reached at tyradamm@gmail.com.
