Procrastination is the thief of time. Edward Young
How soon ‘not now’ becomes ‘never’, Martin Luther
Procrastination is the bad habit of putting off until the day after tomorrow what should have been done the day before yesterday. Napoleon Hill
Procrastination is one of our top detrimental habits preventing us from achieving our goals and developing our abilities. It is like a shackle that chains us to where we are and prevents us from making significant progress in our life. Procrastination is a form of stealing from our self.
Few of us do not suffer from some form of procrastination. Some of us are so good at it we should write a book on it. It is a very harmful behavior that costs us dearly. When it comes to bad or destructive behaviors we have no problem in admitting to such things as smoking, excessive drinking, over-eating and not exercising as being harmful to our well-being. It is easy for us to see the consequences of our actions or lack of actions: poor health, overweight, lack of energy and so forth. We see these things in ourselves and observe them in others. These bad habits constantly remind us as to the consequences of continuing to engage in them. We are procrastinating.
Some of the damages done by procrastinating are more difficult to see. In many respects, the consequences of procrastinating rather than being visible are not readily seen and easy for us to ignore. Things never done are not the constant reminder that they could be. Such things as not getting additional education, more training, starting a savings account, avoiding credit cards and paying off debt do not hound us as much as they could because better choices never existed in the first place. This lack of actions result in such things as not advancing in our careers, not having the financial success we could have had, being under the stress of constant debt and so much more. They will eventually come to haunt us in the form of regrets and thoughts of what might have been.
Anything that we do or do not do, knowing that we should do them or should not have done them; and then failing to take the appropriate action is procrastinating. We mean to do the right thing, but we do not, and we continue to suffer the consequences of our poor choices and lack of action. We are procrastinating.
Overcoming procrastination has immediate payoffs. Anytime we take action to reduce bad habits or to engage in good habits, we are taking significant steps to move ourselves forward in our lives.
Challenge: Taking action is a cure for procrastination. Look in the mirror, engage in soul-searching self-talk. Talk with friends or loved ones. Be honest and come to grip with areas in your life where procrastination robs you and prevents you moving forward. Make a stand, declare war, and “draw a line in the sand”. Every time you make a conscious choice to not procrastinate and take positive steps forward you have had a significant victory.
Wisdom: Procrastination is one of the most common and deadliest of diseases and its toll on success and happiness is heavy. Wayne Gretzky
I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13
The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. Proverbs 13:4
Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:24
It is easy to get lost and complacent in the pressures of daily life. We are easily lulled into accepting status quo and losing our initiate and giving in to laziness. It does not have to be this way. The more we keep our eyes on God and look to him for strength and guidance; He will lead us away from bad habits, procrastination and our laziness. He created us to do and to accomplish. We should be agents of change, not snails of “slothiness”.
Prayer: Help me be aware of areas in my life where procrastination prevents me from being where I should be.