The Perils of Procrastination

Sitting down to write about procrastination, that very problem reared its ugly head. Like a persistent buzzing fly, thoughts intruded and distractions abounded. No sooner did I swat one out of existence than another five came to attend the wake. Today, procrastination will not have the victory!

Putting things off until better days has lost me friendships, opportunities, and no end of friction in relationships. Running on overdrive, and forever hoping to catch up with ourselves, is not an excuse. Again I am reminded that we always have two choices, no matter what life throws at us. The decisions we make, right or wrong, impact on the lives of others, and chances lost are seldom if ever repeated.

On leaving Yorkshire, England, for the sunny skies of Africa, it was great to receive letters from faithful friends and family most Fridays. They would write at the weekends, and lo, I had the weekend ahead to reply. In my reasoning that they only had me to write to, whereas I had all of them, lay a disastrous misconception. Desultory notes to some and promises to myself about others, resulted in the loss of friends who could never be replaced. I forgot a cardinal rule my mother used to quote. Make new friends, but keep the old. These are silver; those are gold. Brows may wrinkle, hair grow grey: true friendship never knows decay.

How I wish now that I had heeded that wisdom.

There remains though, the problem of guilt. How do we handle the guilty feelings that assuage us when we consider what might have been? And how much can be fitted in to an ordinary day? Where do our actual priorities lay? As we try to field the curved balls that are sent our way in Life’s progress we have to consider career, family, and each day’s occurrences which often lead to further prognostics that spread like virus into every quarter of existence.

What can we do to discover our priorities? Where should we look for wisdom in the planning? Might I suggest the Book of Proverbs which is expressly intended for attaining wisdom and discipline; for understanding words of insight; for acquiring a disciplined and prudent life, doing what is right and just and fair. (Proverbs 1:2-3. NIV)

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. (Proverbs 1:7 NIV)

There seems to be a fair promise here that if we start our day with discipline, there is hope for the rest of it. With a healthy respect for the Lord, start with conversation with Him.

1. Commit your day to His leading. Chapter 2 of Proverbs gives many “ifs”but in v9 there is a “then”- and Discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you.
2.  Prioritise plans for the day. For lack of guidance a nation falls but many advisers make victory sure (11:14) It is good to have the least attractive and the most challenging at the top of the list, so that at the end of the day we don’t sit with the most important jobs undone due to distractions.
3. Avoid distractions, if sinners entice you, do not give in to them (Prov1:10) It is so tempting to use distractions as excuses, but they are just another form of procrastination.
4. Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. (Proverbs 3:5-6) If we walk blindly into decisions without careful thought, we will find ourselves sowing seeds of disorganisation and distractions. The true purpose of the day must be to keep the purpose in focus! Whether it is shopping, baking, welding, office documents, appointments, interviews, maintenance, painting, or whatever is applicable to your lifestyle, do it. Do not be wise in your own eyes....(Prov3v7a) for then we tend to excuse ourselves!
5. Preserve sound judgment and discernment... and Have no fear of sudden disaster...for the Lord will be your confidence. (v25 &26) If we are secure in our relationship, we can be ready for God to step into our space, knowing He works for our good. We need to be firmly committed to doing what we do, well. We should have learned our trade, or trained our talent to give of our best, and to keep unswervingly to the task in hand.  Here is one instance of pride being permissible! Take pride in your work for it is for God’s glory.
6. Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth. Look to the wisdom of Ecclesiastes and time for everything, also consider the sleep of the righteous against the lack of sleep for the wealthy.

So let us persevere and avoid the perils of procrastination. I made a start! And with persistence there will be more tomorrow!

Blessings.