Ouch!

I have learned far too many times that procrastination can pay off. I can't even count the number of times I have put off a task only to find it wasn't necessary after all. Or the number of times I have put a task off and then discovered a better way to approach it. Or the number of times taking care of a task in a timely fashion would have actually created more work.

It's not a particularly good lesson for someone who tends to procrastinate.

Today I learned that lesson (yet again) in an unusual way--by actually doing something without putting it off first. I was cooking dinner and decided to empty the dishwasher while I waited for some water to come to a boil. The dishwasher had just barely completed its final cycle.

Let's just say that I will be waiting for the dishes to cool off from now on. My fingertips are still feeling the trauma.