Procrastinators Unite...Tomorrow

     Don’t put off until tomorrow what can be accomplished today. If I had to give a dollar every time I said “I’ll do it later,” I’d have to file for bankruptcy. As I put things off, I notice a bigger and bigger pile of things to do. It brings a lot more anxiety and chaos into my life. So why do I do it? Simple, it’s selfishness. When I don’t do the things I’m supposed to do, because I’d rather be doing something else; I’m putting my wants before anyone else’s (including God and my future self’s wants).

Do you suffer with this procrastination issue, too? How can we fix this? For me, I’m a very task oriented person. So at night, I try to make a list of what I need to get done tomorrow. When tomorrow arrives, those are the tasks I need to get done before I can do anything else. When you pray that night, tell God what you did and didn’t do.

     What if these tasks aren’t accomplished? Should there be a consequence? For example, if I get caught up on social media, my consequence should be doing my work at the kitchen table where my family can easily see my screen. If that doesn’t work, I turn off the Wi-Fi. If that doesn’t work, I go to pen and paper. The point is to take away whatever is distracting you. If you can’t take it away, give it to someone to keep until your tasks are completed.

     To help this issue, create long-term goals so that you are always striving for something. Example: I want to be in better shape. Right now I can run a 7:10 mile and rep 140lbs on bench. “Better shape” doesn’t set a specific goal because running a mile in 7:09 and benching 145lbs after six months could mean “better shape.” To make my goal more specific, it is to get down to a 6:15 minute mile and rep 175lbs by June 18th. I have short-term goals like check points to see if I am on target or should ramp up the workouts to accomplish my long-term goal.

     Don’t fall into the trap of saying “I’ll do it later.” Get it done today and you will have an easier tomorrow.