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ying a task usually lets the chore grow in my mind to unreal proportions, making it seem more annoying, boring or daunting than it would be if I just got it over with.<\/p>\nProcrastination is a funny thing:\u00a0 Delaying a task usually lets the chore grow in my mind to unreal proportions, making it seem more annoying, boring or daunting than it would be if I just got it over with.<\/p>\n
Such was the case with the Transportation Security Administration\u2019s PreCheck application.<\/p>\n
For several years I\u2019d delayed signing up for PreCheck \u2013 which allows a\u00a0 more orderly trip through an airport security checkpoint \u2013 because I would need to visit the local office as part of the process.\u00a0 I couldn’t see how I could take two hours out of a busy workday to visit the office, a 20-minute drive in the wrong direction from my house.<\/p>\n
Without a PreCheck designation on a boarding passes,\u00a0 passengers must remove their toiletries from luggage; take off their shoes; take off their belt; remove their jacket; and pull their laptop from their suitcase.<\/p>\n
With PreCheck, travelers can sail through the screening fully clothed and with most electronics still stowed.<\/p>\n
I was not sold on the need for PreCheck when it began in 2013. Indeed, I mocked the idea of paying $85\u00a0 for a\u00a0 background check that would grant a known traveler number to those deemed trustworthy.<\/p>\n
Removing my shoes and jacket wasn\u2019t a big deal, I thought.<\/p>\n
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But then airlines started occasionally assigning me to PreCheck free, and $85 suddenly seemed a bargain to regain\u00a0 some\u00a0 civility we’d lost since 9\/11.<\/p>\n
Putting clothing, shoes, toiletries and laptops into bins for X-ray screening isn\u2019t \u00a0 a\u00a0 problem. Travelers can undertake the process methodically, if quickly, in the lead-up to the machine.<\/p>\n
It was the rush on the other side that I dreaded.<\/p>\n
A slight panic would overtake me after I passed through the scanner.\u00a0 I’d be trying to gather my things from the conveyor, repack my belongings (Everything used to fit!) put on my shoes and get out of the way before the next suitcase came crashing down the conveyor and I was in everyone’s way.<\/p>\n
Invariably, I would \u2013 absentmindedly \u2013 stuff my boarding pass into a pocket or a purse or a\u00a0 bag so I\u2019d have two hands to tie shoes and repack as fast as possible.\u00a0 I\u2019d be searching frantically for the boarding pass five minutes later having no clue where I’d stored it.<\/p>\n
I am clearly not alone in \u00a0 this discombobulation. A huge number of items are left at TSA screening areas every year,\u00a0\u00a0 from coats and watches to laptops and wallets. In 2015, TSA collected more than $750,000 in loose change alone.<\/p>\n
Last week, I went to John Glenn Columbus International Airport and met with TSA workers to finalize the application that I\u2019d filled out online.<\/p>\n
I had imagined a Bureau of Motor Vehicles kind of queue, but applicants were given appointments, and I was in and out in less time than it had taken me to find a parking space.<\/p>\n
Five minutes was all that was needed for me to answer a few questions, let the workers take my fingerprints and pay my fee.<\/p>\n
My two-year wait seemed a bit silly after that quick dispatch.<\/p>\n
Earlier this week, I received email telling me I had been approved. I now have a known traveler number to use when I fly. I won’t always be able to go through security screenings easily; airports don’t always have a PreCheck lane active.<\/p>\n
I\u2019ll need to renew in five years, but I will be\u00a0 less likely to delay.<\/p>\n
If you would like more information on applying for PreCheck, visit www.tsa.gov<\/a>.<\/p>\n Conclusion: Why did I wait?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Save<\/span><\/p>\n Save<\/span><\/p>\n Save<\/span><\/p>\n Save<\/span><\/p>\n Save<\/span><\/p>\n Save<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Procrastination is a funny thing:\u00a0 Delaying a task usually lets the chore grow in my mind to unreal proportions, making it seem more annoying, boring or daunting than it would be if I just got it over with. Such was the case with the Transportation Security Administration\u2019s PreCheck application. For several years I\u2019d delayed signing … <\/p>\n