Divorce is one of the most difficult things that someone can experience. Many in the field of psychology rank divorce just behind a spouse’s death on lists of the most psychologically distressing events. It’s hard on the even the strongest people. In most cases, a divorce case will consume more time, money, and physical and emotional energy than you would guess.
A lot of the distress a divorce causes comes from having to deal with the various deadlines that you must meet. It is tempting to put off meeting these deadlines, to avoid the work they require and to avoid the anxiety and anger the work inevitably dredges up as it’s done.
Procrastinating the work only makes things worse. Failure to meet deadlines can result in the court imposing fines and awarding attorney’s fees to the opposing party, preventing a party from using evidence at hearings or at trial if it was not timely disclosed in advance, being ruled against on a motion, or even having default judgment entered. Failure to meet deadlines or rushing at the last minute to meet deadlines can–and usually does–reduce the quality of your evidence and your arguments. Bottom line: meeting deadlines is far better than the alternative. You really can’t afford to procrastinate and/or miss deadlines.
Reduce the distress by starting the work as soon as you can and getting it done (“done” meaning completed fully and accurately) not merely by the deadline, but a day or two in advance of the deadline, so that you and your attorney can polish the final product and present the court and your spouse with your best case. Bypass the pressure by doing and completing the work on time. The relief that you will feel is well worth the effort.
Deadlines in your divorce case will not wait, so neither can you wait to meet those deadlines. Do the work that only you can do, get it done on time, and reap the benefits of a job well done.
Utah Family Law, LC | divorceutah.com | 801-466-9277