Skip to main content

Startling Realizations


        Procrastination is not my problem. I get things done by the due dates, and I start working on them a few days before they're due. I don't like to wait until the last minute, in fact I hate when I have to. This was all true until I listened to a talk on procrastination. The person said he had a "PhD" in procrastination and was a professional at it. He talked about things I have always known, things I had read about, but another part stood out to me, convicting me as a criminal.

       I procrastinate! The things I procrastinate about aren’t just tasks, they are minutes. I don’t want to get out of bed yet. I’m not going to tidy my room today. I’ll just leave that piece of important mail there. I’ll wait another day to deposit my check. I can respond to that text or email in another day. It’s not urgent (or simple). With all that, I ruin my life.

        On a task basis, I have two articles due at my newspaper every other Wednesday. To set perimeters around myself, I have to get them done the week before. I end up finally working on them on Friday or Saturday, spending a whole dump of time at once. If I ever work ahead, I end up leaving the bulk of the work until the last minute.

        So, because I start working on the article three or four days before it’s due, it looks like I don’t procrastinate. It looks like I am a very prepared person. However, I have 10 days to work on the article, and I wait until the last two or three to even get started. Because I never spend 6 or 8 hours doing something all at once, it seems to me like I don’t do it, but I do in my own way. Then, of course, I feel bad about having waited so long. It’s an endless cycle. The problem is, procrastination does not just affect my physical life, but every part of me.

        I get emotionally and physically bogged down by so much exertion. I get spiritually weary by not spending quality time with God, and I lose an overall quality of life because of how I approach things. I feel rather sheepish to admit it, but it's true. Maybe I can start working on not procrastinating.

           Read an elongated version of this post in the July/August Deep Encouragement. Email me for details.

        The talk I got these ideas from. I have read most of the books mentioned:

Atomic Habits, Deep Work. (5) watch this if you’re avoiding work - YouTube

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I'm Home

  I am sure you all will pardon my silence, on account of my continuing ill health. I have been home for the past two weeks, but I am really not better than before. I continue to be in pain, unable to do anything besides lay in bed, but I try to keep my spirits up. Everyone's thoughtful notes are much appreciated, and they remind me of how much people care. Thank you all!
Post a Comment
Read more

The Story, Excerpt from My Magazine

  Dear Friends, I find myself in bed again with Lyme’s Disease. I’ve been in bed since October 21 st , and I just spent two weeks in the hospital. We went to the ER to try to get treatment for a migraine that started at the beginning of October. When I initially started having a headache, I went to the chiropractor and got adjusted and a week and a half later, my head still hurt. I went back, but the adjustment only made my headache worse, and I was losing the ability to function normally. I finally went to the doctor and got some medications to try to stop the headache, but they only made it worse. I hit the weekend and I could no longer get the shot for migraines, and the pain was just getting worse. We headed to the ER. Mom requested a test for Lyme Disease, and it came back positive, indicating a new infection of Lyme. We started a course of antibiotics immediately, using IV treatment, and I remained in the hospital to continue to try to pursue causes and remedies for my h...
Post a Comment
Read more

Finding Life

       Life is never predictable, but the goodness of God is. Life will throw you curve balls, but the grace of God will catch them while you get there. Life may splinter into a million shards, but the Rock of our Faith will hold us when everything else falls apart. Dreams may shatter, but the presence of God will become tangible so we know His love is not a dream. The peace of God is greater than the roar of present circumstances. The mercy of God is stronger than our frail, human faith. The blessings of God are present and animate when life seems to have taken a bad turn. To find God in the moment I must LIVE IN THE MOMENT.           This is not a cliché. It is a possible reality. Living in the moment means telling God when I am afraid. It is responding to His touch, even when His touch seems painful. Living in the moment is allowing God to restore, allowing God to bring His healing when I still want to struggle. It is allo...
4 comments
Read more