Stop Procrastinating

“Procrastination is opportunity’s natural assassin.”

—VICTOR KIAM

Again He sets a definite day, [a new] Today, [and gives another opportunity of securing that rest] saying through David after so long a time in the words already quoted, Today, if you would hear His voice and when you hear it, do not harden your hearts.

—Hebrews 4:7

Life feels complicated to me when I have on my mind a dozen projects left to finish. These are things I have either committed to do or know I need to do, but I have not taken action to complete. I cannot enter God’s rest until I listen to His direction and take action. We should make sure we actually do what God leads us to do, or do what we know in our hearts we should do. Good intentions do not equal obedience, and until we obey, we will not feel satisfied in our souls.

Procrastination is one of the devil’s great deceptions. Through it, he convinces us we will do something, we plan to do it, but we often fail to realize we have not done it. Planning is good, but action is better. How many things lurk in your life right now you know you should do, but have not yet done? I’m sure they are a source of aggravation or even torment for you. Every time you go into the closet you have intended to clean for three years, it condemns you. It screams, “You are lazy and undisciplined” and without even being fully aware of it, the closet makes you feel bad about yourself. The best course of action is to decide on a day to clean the closet and, like the shoe commercial says—just do it!

How about those household repairs you need to complete, or that list of phone calls you’ve put off for weeks, maybe months? Just thinking about what you still have to do can make you feel lazy and disorganized. These feelings may be vague and subtle, but they are always present and can prevent us from truly enjoying life. The simple thing to do is set a day or a time aside and get the job done! One act of discipline and action will protect you from multiplied days of feeling overwhelmed.

If you are facing a lot of unfinished projects or tasks you have put off way too long, don’t get stressed out and allow yourself to feel defeated before you ever begin. Take them one at a time, and simply keep at it until you are finished. Look at the finish line—not the work it will take to get there. You will have to discipline yourself and make some sacrifices along the way, but the dividend will be many days of freedom and enjoyment. The Bible says that no discipline for the present brings joy, but rather grief (see Hebrews 12:11). Nevertheless, later on, it “yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.” Wise people care more about later than now. They are investors—they invest what they have in order to have something better in the future.

Simplify your life today by making a decision to be a “now” person who never procrastinates. Let your new philosophy in life be to “never put off until tomorrow what can be accomplished today.” Do it now, and experience the peace that comes with the simple act of doing.