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Topic: Defeat Procrastination
The way to get started is to quit talking and begin
doing.
Procrastination is very deceptive. It makes us complacent by telling us that we are going to do the right thing. It justifies inactivity.
I once heard a story about three demons who were graduating from their course on how to deceive people in the world and prevent them from knowing God. Satan was questioning each demon, and he asked each one how he would deceive people. The first one answered that he would tell people there was no God. Satan answered, “You won’t deceive many because most people down deep inside of them do believe God exists even if they have not chosen to follow Him.” The second demon said he would tell people that heaven and hell didn’t really exist. Satan said, “You will deceive a few more than your coworker, but you won’t get many souls either.” The third demon said that he would tell people that there was no hurry, and they could put off the decision to follow God until another time. Satan got excited and said loudly, “You will reap many souls for the kingdom of darkness by simply telling them to make the decision later.” I have never forgotten this story even though I heard it approximately twenty years ago. Also read DELAY, DELAY, DELAY: HOW TO MANAGE AND OVERCOME PROCRASTINATION SO IT DOESN’T MANAGE YOU
Procrastination is a thief. It steals our time, our potential, our self-esteem, our peace of mind. It is like a lullaby that whispers, “Go to sleep; everything will be fine.” But everything will not be fine if we put off doing what we need to do.
And the task isn’t going to get done by itself! It’s not going anywhere. Procrastination is very deceptive, and we can only conquer it by becoming what I call a “now” person. Be aggressive when you know you need to do something. Don’t put it off and keep putting it off… just do it! I am sitting in my bedroom this morning working on this book. A few minutes ago I looked at my bed, which was still unmade.
I got up to get something, and as I passed by the bed I thought about making it and then thought, “Oh, I will do it later.” I could have done that, but I know myself well enough to know that I would have found looking at the messed-up bed unpleasant throughout the day. I recognize the importance of doing what I need to do right away, so I defeated procrastination by simply taking a few minutes to make the bed. Now I feel better about myself and about the way the room looks and I can get back to work.
When we put things off, they aggravate us. We may not even be consciously aware of it, but unfinished projects pressure us.
If you walk through your home and see dishes in the sink, laundry on the floor, trash cans filled to the brim, beds unmade, every countertop piled high with mail that needs to be sorted, I feel certain that it pressures you in some way.
You may even get grouchy and start an argument with someone else in the house just because you feel overwhelmed. When we find fault with someone else it diverts our attention from how we feel about ourselves. Procrastination never makes us feel good.
If the grass needs to be cut, the weeds need to be pulled, the car needs to be washed and the oil needs to be changed, and the garage is a disorganized mess, it pressures you. You can complain about the mess or you can stop procrastinating and take action—one item at a time—to bring order to your home.
God is certainly a God of order and organization. Some of the details recorded in the Bible about the building of the Ark and the Temple are just amazing to me. God made sure that everything was done in the most orderly and best way possible.
Chaos makes us feel confused, and God is not theauthor of confusion but of order and peace (1 Corinthians
14:33).
