I know the legal theory behind the statute of limitations, but I wonder if there is a non-legal reason for this limitation.

I think it has to do with human nature. People procrastinate. Given the option of infinity, how long do you think some people would wait to file a claim? Just count the number of times an office associate calls us and declares “the statute is tolling!” (i.e., the sky is falling).

Why is it tolling? Often, the deadline is looming because the claimant waited until the last minute to find an attorney, or the attorney waited until the last minute to address merit, or the expert took too long to review the records and prepare an affidavit, or in general, life happened and it is human nature to save the hardest work for last.

We have a statute of limitations for many reasons, and it varies from state to state, from child to adult.

We have final exams because without them, most students would study for the immediacy of one test rather than retain the data for a “final” test. Trust me on this; I have four children.

There is a time to punch the clock, a time beyond which we are tardy, an alarm clock that awakens us, and a snooze button that apologizes for waking us up.

I too need deadlines. I need goals and objectives because without them, it can be difficult to prioritize work. In one sense, I can let deadlines be my guide. But I always know that what I am really doing is finding a rational reason to put off until tomorrow what I should have done yesterday.