How To Overcome Procrastination

Have you procrastinated doing an important thing? How does it make you feel?

Procrastination affects all of us. Most often, procrastination sneaks up into our lives and leads to missed opportunities, regret, and failure.

We have procrastinated doing a lot of things -- doing an assignment, finishing reading a book, starting a new project or business, leading a bible study, starting a savings plan, calling a relative, helping a friend who is sick or in need, starting an exercise program for weight loss, setting a doctor’s appointment, cleaning a cabinet, and many, many more.

What is Procrastination

The dictionary defines procrastination as “the action of delaying or postponing something”.

Procrastination is not doing a thing even though you know you have to do it eventually.
Procrastination means putting things off, big and small. It is sad but it is possible to be so good at procrastination that many things are piled high enough to stress you out.

Procrastination differs from Laziness. Procrastination is often confused with laziness, but they are very different. Procrastination is an active process – you choose to do something else instead of the task that you know you should be doing. In contrast, laziness suggests apathy, inactivity, and an unwillingness to act.

Sometimes, procrastination is a result of poor time management. Procrastination is what happens when time management strategies are not utilized well. Procrastination is NOT a time management issue. It is an emotional management issue.

Consequences of Procrastination

Procrastination leads to negative feelings, yet we still do it. Procrastination is the thief of your time, your money, your happiness, and your fulfillment.

Procrastination robs you of true fulfillment in your life, self-image, health, family, wealth, and opportunities to help.

Procrastination blocks our success.

Why Do We Procrastinate?

We believe that procrastination is not good for us, then why do we still do it?

Making a habit of putting things off is related to having a lack of self-control, and remember that self-control is among the fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:23). When we learn to live in the spirit, we become empowered by the Holy Spirit. Scripture teaches us that while Satan can control our flesh, our spirit can rise above him and take back control of our flesh. It is the power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to transcend the weaknesses of the flesh.

Here are some of the reasons why we procrastinate:
· Lack of motivation-We are not willing to do the work because we think the satisfaction from our actions or rewards will come yet in the future. We do not put enough value on the outcome of our actions.
· Habit/Laziness-We care more about the present and not care about the future consequences of our actions. At times, we do the important things in the last hours like studying for an exam or finishing a presentation and cram instead of taking time to do things systematically.
· Fear of Failure-We avoid uncomfortable emotions as much as possible.
· Fear of Success-We feel you are unworthy of success. We avoid decisions that can lead to accomplishment.
· Perfectionism-We need to master all the aspects of the project before doing the first step. We want to wait for that “perfect time”.
· Poor self-image/self-worth-We think we are incapable and do not have the skills to do the tasks. We remain doing what we are familiar with. We do not want to go beyond our comfort zone. In so doing, we miss the potential we can have.
· Doubt/Uncertainty-Since you are uncertain of the result, we do not take the first step. The more we are confident of the outcome, the lesser we procrastinate.

The more we are certain of the outcome, the lesser we procrastinate.

What does the Bible say about Procrastination?

Is God concerned with our procrastination? The answer is a resounding YES!
God owns our life and our time.

When we surrendered ourselves to Jesus Christ, we should realize our life and our time is God’s. Let me share a few of the Bible verses.

Ephesians 5:15-17: Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.

Procrastination is a destroyer of blessings. It can rob you of self-confidence, reliability, and personal peace. In Proverbs 18:9, the Bible says, "He also who is slack in his work Is brother to him who destroys."

James 4:17 says “If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them”.

John 9:4 says “As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”

And, let us be reminded that we do not know until when we can live here on earth. Luke 12:40 says “You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

We each have a mission here on earth and the will of the Lord for each of us is tied to our time.

Practical Ways to Overcome Procrastination

What do we do when we feel procrastination is creeping into our lives?

1) Pray about things you need to get done.
2) Set a schedule or timeline for your goal and list all activities needed to achieve it. Break down the activities you need to do and estimate how much time you need to spend on each step.
3) Prioritize and focus on your activities. Avoid distractions. Most often we are impulsive and we divert our focus.

I like the idea from Mel Robbins, a famous motivational coach. She said in her famous book entitled “The 5-Second Rule” that whenever procrastination creeps in, start counting from 1 to 5. After the count of 5, get up and go into action. Most of the time, the problem is just getting started.

Conclusion

God sees us and is concerned about our procrastination and the struggles we have with it. He knows that when we stray away from God’s mission and work, we tend to procrastinate.

One famous quote says that “our biggest mistake is thinking we still have time.”

God wants us to manage properly what we have now before He will entrust us with more. In fact, if we don’t learn to appreciate and manage well the time and the responsibilities we have, we run the risk of losing even that (read the “Parable of the Talents” in Matthew 25:14-30 ).

Philippians 4:13 says “I can do all this through him who gives me strength”.

One day, we will give an account of our time and how we spent it before the Lord. Have we used our time wisely? Psalm 90:12 says “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Ask yourself, is God happy with the way I maximize my time?

Application

What is the one thing you have committed and procrastinated that if you have completed, would change the way you feel about yourself and eventually build the Kingdom of God?

Think about the things you have procrastinated on doing. What would your life be like if you eliminated procrastination once and for all?

There is nothing wrong with spending time relaxing and doing nothing. In fact, we need time for relaxing. God does not want us to be busy 24/7.

However, we never run out of excuses for not doing things we need to do – too tired, too stressed out, or too busy with something else.

Meditate on what would it be worth to you mentally, emotionally, financially, and spiritually, if you have not procrastinated and instead accomplished them?

We pay a heavy price for not doing our mission here on earth. We may miss the REWARD God has set for us to receive.