The quotation advises against postponing a task that can reasonably be completed in the present. Its emphasis is on prompt action and self-discipline: unnecessary delay can leave responsibilities unfinished and allow manageable work to accumulate. The maxim does not argue that every task must be performed immediately, but presents avoidable postponement as a habit worth resisting.

Jefferson included the sentence as the first of ten “Canons for observation in practical life” in his 1825 letter to Thomas Jefferson Smith. The surrounding rules address self-reliance, spending, pride, willingness and control of anger, placing this advice within a broader set of practical principles for personal conduct. In that context, the quotation concerns character as much as efficiency. It encourages a habit of dealing with present responsibilities rather than relying on a future opportunity that may be less convenient or certain.