Overcoming procrastination is a lesson learned best by a harsh outcome from doing nothing.
Ecclesiastes 11:4
Okay, I admit it…
I’ve been procrastinating on my blog.
And why have I been doing that?
Well, let’s see…
- I’ve been tired.
- I’ve had other things to do.
- I wasn’t feelin’ it so I thought it wouldn’t be any good.
So yesterday, when I decided to get back in the saddle, I read the Tiny Words. Big Life. quote for the day (July 7) and could only smile.
How fitting to end my procrastination by writing about procrastination?
But the story doesn’t end there. I let it percolate one more day before I actually ended up writing about it.
On that, I’m reminded of a popular saying…
“Better late than never.“
Indeed.
While we’re on the subject of popular sayings – how about this one?
“There’s always tomorrow…”
Come to think about it… that one should go down as “The Procrastinator’s Creed”!
But, before we heave those weighty words on the backs of procrastinators everywhere, that phrase can mean multiple things.
For example, in the world of competition sports, players on the losing team will use it to comfort themselves after a tough loss. It reminds them that today’s failure is over and there’s nothing that can be done to change it. It encourages them to focus their energy on the future and not to dwell on the past.
It’s basically saying, “We’ll beat ’em tomorrow.”
So, why do we procrastinate?
The reasons are as numerous as the grains of sand in the Sahara desert and we’ve probably used them all at one time or another.
However, the main underlying reasons for procrastination, in this Blogmeister’s humble opinion, are fear, laziness, and selfishness.
Out of these three, fear is probably the easiest reason to understand. We’re afraid of the outcome of doing something – so we just don’t do it.
Laziness is another one that’s fairly straightforward – we don’t want to be bothered with something… we just want to relax and forget about it.
Selfishness though… requires some thinking and perhaps a little soul-searching.
If we’re expected (or need) to do something that others are counting on or will benefit from – and we don’t do it… all the reasons we might conjure up for not doing it stem from being selfish. In other words, my reasons for not doing it outweigh the benefits that others will reap from me doing it.
Do you follow?
Today’s Tiny Words. Big Life. Bible verse finds King Solomon telling us that if you sit back and do nothing, you’ll not only miss out on planting but reaping as well.
Did you get that?
One procrastination (watching the wind) leads to another procrastination (looking at the clouds). If you don’t plant, you certainly will not reap.
Today’s Tiny Words. Big Life. takeaway is this: Pray for motivation to do things that need to be done. Pray for the love of others to move you into action. Pray to act on the things that God puts in your path so that they can be done to honor Him.
And the next time you’re tempted to use the The Procrastinator’s Creed, remember this:
One day, tomorrow will never come.
Ecclesiastes 11:4
4 Whoever watches the wind will not plant;
whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.