Don’t Let Work Pile Up

“Idleness is a constant sin, and labor is a duty. Idleness is the devil’s home for temptation and for unprofitable distracting musings; while labor profiteth others and ourselves.”

—ANNE BAXTER

In everything I have pointed out to you [by example] that, by working diligently in this manner, we ought to assist the weak, being mindful of the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, It is more blessed (makes one happier and more to be envied) to give than to receive.

—Acts 20:35

Do you feel overwhelmed when you look around and seriously consider how many things you need to do? A good way to simplify your life is to never let work pile up. When you’re facing a project you don’t want to do, it is easy to decide to do it later, or wait until tomorrow. But you have to exercise willpower to stay with a task and not waste your time finding excuses to not finish your work. You may have heard the phrase “An idle brain is the devil’s playground.”

When we allow ourselves to be idle we can find a million excuses to keep us from getting busy. You may tell yourself, “I need more time to tackle that project than is available today”; or you may say, “I’m just too tired.” You might simply convince yourself, “I’m just not capable of that right now.” Whatever excuses you create, the truth is, if you were busy working, your mind wouldn’t have time to come up with excuses and the work wouldn’t pile up.

Living a simple life requires self-control. You must decide what needs to be done and systematically do it. No excuses! It may be tough at first, especially if you haven’t been disciplined in the past, but the rewards of order and restraint are worth the effort. The Bible says that discipline brings peaceable fruit (see Hebrews 12:11).

If you believe in your heart that the project in question is something you are supposed to do then I encourage you to make a decision not to put it off unless you are faced with an emergency you cannot control. Set your mind and keep it set on getting the job done! When you do, you will feel better about yourself and you will have the simple joy of knowing that you did what was right.