Many of us have the habit of waiting until the last minute to work on something with a due date. We typically think we have time and do not need to rush to get the work done. This can include schoolwork, college applications, scholarship applications, or even paying bills. While some deadlines can be extended, there is no guarantee of an extension. Therefore, it is very important to pay attention to deadlines but work on those items earlier to ensure you get them in on time.

If you’re thinking there is no way you would miss a due date, here are five things that could happen to any of us.

Life Happens

Sometimes there are things that happen unexpectedly in life that can take us away from the things on our calendars. This can include a death in the family or a major weather event, such as tornadoes and hurricanes. At times like those, our mind will be somewhere else and we might forget about those items that must be done on a specific date. In addition, even if you don’t forget about the thing that needs to be done, your mind might not be able to focus like it normally does because these other will probably be weighing on your mind.

Power outage

Most power outages are not scheduled and you never know when it is going to happen. Laptops, tablets, and cell phones are great because they do not need to be plugged in to use them, but will you have enough charge to make it through the power outage to meet the due date? In addition, even if you do have enough charge, will the internet work? Many homes have moved to wi-fi and the routers typically require electricity.

Internet outage

Just like power outages, sometimes internet at home just stops working. Leaving your home and going somewhere else to get internet access could work, but will you have that option? In addition, there is no guarantee the signal will be available at the new location.

Time zone differences

For many due dates, midnight is the cut-off time. But, will it be “your” midnight, or will it be the midnight somewhere else? For example, midnight on the East Coast is 9 p.m. on the West Coast. Midnight on the East Coast is 6 p.m. in Hawaii. Many colleges and scholarship providers will give the specific time for the due date, but others do not. Many will use their own time zone when considering applicants, and if the application comes in just one minute after what they are considering the due date and time, your application may not be considered.

Window closes

There are scholarships that will only accept a certain amount of applications. Even if they list a due date on their application or website, if they receive the maximum number of applications, they will close the application. This can happen a few days before the due date, or even months before the due date.

Everyone gets busy and it is easy to wait until the day before something is due to work on it. However things can happen that can make you miss the due date. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to important dates and work on these items before they are due you get them submitted before it is too late.

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