I have learned a few valuable life lessons over the past semester. Some of them are deep and memorable, some not so much.

But there is one that I’ve learned that seems so ridiculously simple, yet no one ever realizes it: If you do something right the first time, you only have to do it once.

Simple, right? Yeah, but simple isn’t always easy. Thinking about this made me reflect about all the times I screwed up or failed at a task all because I wanted to get it over with and be done. However, I had to either go back and correct it or deal with the consequences.

Life doesn’t have to be lived this way.

Do something right the first time. How long it takes doesn’t matter—time passes anyway. But be intentional, so there are some things you never have to do again.