Have you ever come across articles and blogs about some of the world’s famous procrastinators? I have, and sadly I can only recall Steve Jobs. So basically they are saying that procrastination, as bad as it sounds, actually has benefits and all those great men, including Mr. Jobs, are proof of it.

As a procrastinator myself, I would beg to disagree. First of all, what exactly is procrastination? Google has it, “the action of delaying or postponing something.” Pretty straight forward. At this point you may start to wonder, what does this have to do with biking, camping and fishing? Good question.

Let me take you back to year 2014 when I was working in Canberra. The days when I travelled to Melbourne and back, every weekend, by coach (a glorified bus). That is at least 16 hours of total travel on a weekly basis for two straight years. During those days, I never really had much time for outdoor leisure as I have spent the weekends feeling a little tired from a long night in a bus. Although, I have always wanted to have a bike.

Canberra is known as Australia’s cycling capital and despite working there for two years, I never really visited a single bicycle shop. Partly it was because I had other plans – to have a bike once I get a job in Melbourne so the missus can tag along. Yes, my wife is in Melbourne, reason for my weekly commutes.

Year 2016, finally, I got a job in Melbourne. We were both excited. Here we go, to the bike shop! Nope. In 6 weeks’ time, the missus got pregnant. Now I have another excuse, a good one but still an excuse. Fast forward 2020, a pandemic hit. Businesses shut down, people are asked to work from home, the future is unclear. I have never had this much time in my hands for the past 13 years or so – I think I’m loving it.

While these times are scary for a family man with a mortgage, I decided to embrace it. I have time, I can do what I want now, time to rekindle my love for the outdoors. This is it, my beer belly’s days are numbered, this will be the start of a healthier me. But First, I’ll need a tow bar. I have been planning to buy a tow bar since early 2017 but I really haven’t done anything because… procrastination. So I arranged my tow bar install, the guys are coming in a few days and my bike carrier is ready.

Now, to the bike shops. Well what do you know? Bikes have become the new toilet paper. Most mountain bikes that suit my size and budget are all sold out. Supply chains have slowed down significantly and people are going crazy. I have looked deep on the internet for Giant ATX bikes with not much luck. Merida, at the same price range, is also hard to find. The $500 – $700 mark is hot and I am getting very frustrated.

Time in my hands, a bit of frustration, equals some realisation. Time to do a debrief. What went wrong? Well, I procrastinated long enough. What did I learn? If you really want something, just go for it. May it be a bike, a guitar, or a fishing rod, an OFFICE DESK, just buy it and keep it. One day it will come in handy. Trying to justify every single purchase may save you some money in the short term but it will hit you back in the future.

Anyway, I was just taking a breather. My hunt for Giant ATX and the likes is still on!