On 9/13/2026 at 5:14 PM, Sir Dude said:

why do Thai people generally leave everything to the last minute and never enact preventitive action/organisation on topics to get them done and behind them... and instead, just deal with it when it rears its head and becomes a problem..

You just answered your own question.

Preventative maintenance requires time, planning, and............work.

Putting off until...maybe.....it becomes a problem is less bothersome.

After all, if and when it becomes a problem, it'll likely be someone else's problem.

1 hour ago, CallumWK said:

Do you know me Teddy, otherwise where do you base your claims on?

I found your photo online. You don't have enough money to buy a woman.

52 minutes ago, scottiejohn said:

Try flashing something else, wink wink, if it is worthwhile flashing!

You and @CallumWK are the reason they invented magnification glasses.

1 hour ago, Tourist2 said:

Low IQs ?

You didn't used to say these things about them before, goat. What changed? Is being there making you less tolerant of everything or is it the time you're spending online?

6 hours ago, TedG said:

Shopping gives people a dopamine hit. The dollar store makes the hit cheaper.

To consume is to be worthwhile in a consumer society, just as being able to hunt and or gather makes a person worthwhile in a Hunter-Gatherer society.

The dollar store allows people to consume even though they have very low incomes.

They feel themselves to be worthwhile.

(10 baht store is the equivalent in Thailand)

Edited Monday at 07:56 PM2 days by Enoon

9 hours ago, CallumWK said:

Or maybe it's that I'm not thick enough to fall for your story?

You're just bitter because you're so obnoxious you have to pay people to be friends

10 hours ago, NoDisplayName said:

Preventative maintenance requires time, planning, and............work.

Also in Indonesia, in some businesses, it costs money. They prefer to let stuff break and lose production while fixing it. They consider it like advertising; 50% of the money is wasted but which 50%.

Of course money in , production, is a bonus. Money spent on maintenance is a book loss that cannot be recovered. I don't know their logic.

12 hours ago, CallumWK said:

Maybe I don't need to pay them, in contrary with you?

They really hate it when you don't pay them.

A majority of replies to this topic are insults that have nothing to do with the topic. More than usual. I have a friend who ran a website and he didn't allow comments because he knew it would draw morons out from under their stones. Wise man.

As for the topic, I've too found that planning ahead isn't part of the culture. But I've also had English friends who, for example, are five-minutes late instead of five-minutes early people and it has cost them money for various reasons.

My wife is the world's worst procrastinator, and I've yet to figure out completely why. I can't speak to how she acted before she met me, but for the past 16 years she had not had to stick to any kind of schedule, so she simply relies on her memory and never writes anything down that she needs to follow-up on. I have to remind her 2-3 time just to contact the waterman, but she'll wait until we're almost out of water before she acts. I also believe that most actions require the involvement of other people, and my wife absolutely hates to "bother" other people, so she'll put things off for as long as possible to avoid what she refers to as being a nuisance to others. For example, if we go shopping and can't find a particular item in the store, it just kills her to have to ask a clerk for assistance. She calls that "bothering" the employee instead of seeing that task as the responsibility of the employee who is duty bound to provide that service to the customer. I certainly don't have all the answers, so I spend most of my days just scratching my head trying to figure out these Thais. It's a real puzzle to my mind.

In my experience of 4 years it seems to be how they were raised. Maybe how things were done in the past.

As of my 3 years of attempting to help them understand, plan and budget for future needs I have failed miserably. One reason is because when you Don't make a living wage to begin with trying to save anything is impossible.

They would rather live a decent life, enjoy a few "luxuries" and use whatever is left to pay enough debt to not have their car or motorbike repoed, be evicted, and pay for the kid's school.

According to Gemini

Quote

"Thailand has one of the highest household debt burdens in Southeast Asia and among emerging markets, both in absolute terms (average debt per household) and relative to the size of its economy (debt-to-GDP)."

On 9/13/2026 at 12:14 PM, Sir Dude said:

Dear all,

I'm going to risk starting a thread here. I have lived here a long time, but there are a few things that I struggle to completely sware-away, but have ideas and personal thoughts about, but would like to ask the wider forum of what its opinion is due to collective experience here, which is clearly large.

So, the main question is, why do Thai people generally leave everything to the last minute and never enact preventitive action/organisation on topics to get them done and behind them... and instead, just deal with it when it rears its head and becomes a problem... from car/property maintenance to relationships to general problems et al?

It almost seems fashionable to do something just in time at the last minute, from jumping on a songthaew to submitting work or documents at the last minute to just do it in time.

It is sometimes breathtaking how close they leave an issue to the deadline before sorting it out without a fine or consequence, if at all... only if it is super important and the law means almost nothing on this, it's optional or discretionary depending on what they consider important. It is a strange dicotomy to be honest.

I have my suspicions abd udeas, but would be interested in what other posters' thoughts are without saying too much just yet.

Not only Thais do that, It's probably quite general. In Danish language we have a word for it "magelig", which translates to "comfortable", but the Danish expression rather mean laid back, but not lazy, and enjoying any moment of life. It's a part under the Danish "hygge"-category.

In many ways Thais and Danes are a bit same-same — we also have 400+ years good relationship with Thailand and founded a lot here, including the first grater hotel in Bangkok, today's Oriental; the Teak-wood export, today remaining as Asiatique Pier; MEA, the electricity supply that had it's main office in Copenhagen; the canal-busses in Bangkok; the tramcars and railways, including the first and only private owned one; the cement industri, i.e., SCG; the first Thai-bank, today's SCB; and not to forget milk and the international airline — so, I understand very well that nice feeling of everything that can be done later today, tomorrow or next week or further some time out in the future, can wait; Because I'm in "hygge"-mood right now...😊

«Hygge (pronounced “hoo-gah”) is a Danish word and cultural concept that roughly translates to coziness, warmth, and well-being. Rather than just describing a physical feeling, the official travel site VisitDenmark defines it as a mindset focused on creating a warm atmosphere and enjoying the good things in life with good people.»

«The Danish word magelig (pronounced “mah-yeh-lee”) is an adjective that primarily translates to comfortable, easy-going, or leisurely. While closely related to hygge, magelig focuses more specifically on physical comfort, physical ease, or a desire to avoid overexertion.»

Close to this subject is the fact that Thais attending e.g. government buildings/ hospitals / banks etc all arrive at 0830 hrs and wait all morning to be seen.

I learned long ago to attend these places after lunch so there’s little or no waiting.

I understand that Thais, being sociable, use these gatherings as an opportunity to catch up with friends and family from outlying villages and treat it as a social occasion so they’re sabai dee.

Thais live in and for the moment so you can't do both....Just not a planning culture collectively or individually..

Status quo rules the day so they tend to go on automatic pilot each and every day...The culture doesn't challenge them to wake up and try to build a better mouse THAT day...

Old habits die really really hard in this culture and that can be a positive and a negative...much less cultural stress and lower expectations of people which for the most part works very effectively (maybe not efficiently) for the locals

On 9/13/2026 at 5:54 PM, scubascuba3 said:

My lawyer friend has bad time keeping, arrives late, you'd think a professional would be better, finally she's learning, if she is late i tell her to do a U turn and go home

When I first moved to New York a few decades ago I learned some valuable lessons about time management. I showed up for an important commercial real estate meeting 15 minutes late and the gentleman who I was there to see refused to meet with me. I was puzzled and I inquired with his secretary and she finally said that he is highly intolerant of people who are unable to manage their time properly. He ended up popping his head out introducing himself and saying "oh you must be the new broker who came to show me a listing" . I said yes and I began to apologize for being late and he cut me off and said look this is the first time we've met, I own 60 buildings and I was quite interested in the building that you were offering but I won't buy it because you simply could not manage your life to the point where you could be here on time so next time you have something of Interest run it by me, but figure out a way to meet me at the appointed time. For now get the f*** out of my office and let me get on with my day.

It taught me a very valuable lesson and for the last 40 years I've very rarely ever been late to a meeting or even to a meal with a friend. I realize that punctuality is all about respect. If I'm in a busy city where traffic and congestion is to be expected I might allow an extra hour. If I'm in a small town I will allow an extra 15 minutes. It's a very simple thing really.

Many Thais don't seem to know the concept of time management, nor did they understand that showing up late is an inherent sign of disrespect.

I now allow 20 to 30 minutes and if I haven't received a text message I'm out of there. See ya.

On 9/13/2026 at 5:54 PM, scubascuba3 said:

My lawyer friend has bad time keeping, arrives late, you'd think a professional would be better, finally she's learning, if she is late i tell her to do a U turn and go home

I used to have a friend in New York who was consistently late and after a while I got so sick of it we made a bet that whoever was late would pay $1 per minute towards their tardiness. The next time we met he paid me $45 and he was on time every time after that. So perhaps it comes down to simple motivation?

It also comes down to time management and whether or not you're living your life in a very sloppy manner, and refusing to show respect for others and the value of their time. I don't have time for that and I will give somebody a short grace period and then leave.

Edited 4 hours ago4 hr by spidermike007

On a flippant level I would say: I don’t care if someone does something last minute, as long it is still done in time and correctly.

But I think the op is onto a general treat of not planning ahead much. And this I witnessed many times - not just in Thailand (also including many members of the family) but in several countries in this region. I tend to think it’s an inherited trait, some result of evolution and the environment. Talking about biological memory and selection.

While people in the west - in cold Europe - for millennia! - had to plan ahead – to survive the next winter (or the other way around – only those who did could survive and procreate) - in the fertile, warm and lush tropical environment there was zero need for this. So, the need/trait to plan ahead for weeks or months is not embedded in the culture.

It's not only the Thai people who face this challenge. We all know someone who consistently procrastinates and leaves everything to the last minute.