I am the world's worst procrastinator. Ok, maybe not the worst, but i rank high up there. This is a topic I wanted to touch on today as I have been struggling a lot.
Procrastination is simply putting low priority tasks ahead of high priority ones. What are some of the reasons we do this?
- Fear. We fear that the task will be unpleasant
- Perfectionism. We want to wait until we can do the task perfectly
- Laziness. We just don't feel like it or feel that too much effort will have to be put forth. We live in a too cushy society.
- Can't make up our minds. Indecision can prevent us from starting a task because we feel we need a plan from beginning to end.
"The sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold; therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing." Proverbs 20:4. How many times have we had missed opportunities due to procrastination? Have we let something go bad in our fridge due to not wanting to deal with it? (guilty here) Have we not learned as much as we could because we put off a lesson or reading? Has a problem ever grown from procrastination? That faulty thermostat that turns into a broken head on a car... a small leak in a roof that becomes a hole?
What are your excuses that make you put off what should be done today? What are you avoiding and why? It is merely habitual? Think about these things as you plan out your day and week. Think of the rewards of your finished tasks. Then, do it now. Remove that stress and do it now. It's rarely as bad as we think it is.