Procrastinate Away

Laziness leads to a sagging roof; idleness leads to a leaky house.

ECCLESIASTES 10:18

“IT CAN WAIT.”

“I’ll do it tomorrow.”

“It doesn’t matter that much if I finish.”

Have you ever said these words or heard them from someone else? It’s easy to give in to the urge to let things slide, to not work quite as hard, or to do something that’s more fun than the task at hand. This is called procrastination, and it’s something many people struggle with. It can become a habit that makes our lives difficult.

Procrastination is a big word, but it really just means putting off doing something or leaving it to the last minute. When we procrastinate on homework, we may wait until bedtime to do it. Then we run out of time and don’t get the work done, or we have to stay up late to finish. People procrastinate on tasks like chores, homework, cleaning, and even paying bills—all of which can lead to unhappy consequences.

In the Bible, God guides us away from procrastination. He tells us not to fall into the trap of being lazy or idle. He reminds us to work hard and not give in to bad habits. Just because we don’t feel like doing a task doesn’t mean we should drag our feet. God also reminds us in Luke 16:10 to be faithful in the little things so we can be trusted with the big things. If we procrastinate on little things, people won’t trust that we’ll do the big things either. So fight the urge to say, “I’ll do it later.” Get the job done!

DO

On a separate piece of paper, write one thing you tend to procrastinate on, but write as s-l-o-w-l-y as you possibly can, stretching out each letter of each word. Maybe it’s cleaning your room or practicing your viola.

How long did you take to write the words? Was the end result very neat or easy to read? Why or why not? How is this like what happens when we procrastinate on a task?

Now use the eraser and, as fast as you can, erase the words and then blow away the eraser scraps. How is this like what happens when we focus on a task and do it quickly?

PRAY

Dear God,

Thank you for giving me the ability to focus and get tasks done. Please help me avoid procrastinating. Remind me to be hardworking and faithful in the tasks I need to do. Amen.

READ

Proverbs 10:4; Proverbs 19:15