JANUARY 28 — Desperation is something that many, if not all of us, have experienced.

You're hungry but broke. You need to take the biggest number two but you’re stuck in a jam. You're in a hazmat suit and can't scratch that itch.

Just like how I was struggling last week, cracking my head in an ultimately failed attempt to meet a deadline.

(The deadline was for this column entry, if you're wondering.)

So, in the interest of full disclosure — I, Joseph Sipalan, declare that I screwed up on delivering on time my weekly column for this week as agreed with my boss.

Now that declaration does not absolve me of anything, save for the need to make excuses.

Which is something we're all accustomed to hearing (or making), I'm sure.

Practically everybody's done it before. "I'm just five minutes away, traffic so bad lah." Of course you failed to mention that you woke up just 15 minutes before the set appointment.

Or maybe you just don't want to meet a particular person or group of people, so when they ask you out, you decide to fib by telling them you have a prior engagement with other people.

In the rush to try and do as much as we can in such a fast-paced and frantically wired society, we end up making excuses for nearly every single thing.

Maybe we believe that we need to do as much as we can to meet what we perceive to be society's expectation of what a successful person should be doing.

Or perhaps we are so consumed by the need to be part of the pack, constantly looking for ways to post the most interesting or outrageous status update on Facebook or Twitter in a bid to remain "relevant."

But by taking so much on your plate, you're bound to have some bits fall off, leaving you with the unsavoury task of having to explain yourself for missing out on that promise or responsibility.

Of course, making an excuse is a pretty convenient way out of the quandary, and by no means a bad decision in some social settings.

But in most cases, it just boils down to whittling down your "to-do" list to focus on what you can realistically deliver on without losing too much sleep.

If you can't wake up early enough for an appointment, just set it for later in the day.

You don't like the people who asked you out for a drink, just say you're tired.

Think about it — you are constantly tired living in the city, for the simple fact that it's hectic.

So rather than waste your energy trying to please people who don't even figure that highly on your priorities list, spend it on people and things that matter.

Your wife and kids. Your significant other. Your parents. Your hobby.

Or that periodic investment in a certain lottery, just in case you end up being the lucky sod who won the RM44 million payout just this week.

Should've bought that damn ticket last weekend.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.