Procrastination!

Posted Wednesday, September 19, 2007

Isaiah 56:12, "And tomorrow will be like today, only more so."

This could be the lifelong verse of the procrastinator, who never enjoys the moment, for the moment is a constant interruption. Some might ask what is being interrupted. Well, whatever is happening is an interruption to what the procrastinator is “going” to do. Since the procrastinator lives in the fantasy world of thinking he will do in the next hour what has not been done in the previous months, he is always too busy to take time out for the joys of life. Yes, he really would like to hike, to read a book, to go bicycling, to go to the movie, or even to take a small vacation, but, alas! "There is so much that needs to get done." In fact, so many things remain undone that are supposedly going to get done that the postponer is actually angry at the interruption and whoever brings it. "How am I supposed to get everything done if you keep interrupting me?" Again, the procrastinator would feel guilty taking any time out, because he is not doing the job he had planned. What is comical—sadly--is that the procrastinator does not actually get to the job. The exhaustion at the end of the day does not come from overwork but from falling into bed full of frustration and self-hatred, believing only that tomorrow is going to be different. A schedule is in mind. If everything goes according to plan, he will actually finish the task a few days early. But let’s not forget, "And tomorrow will be like today, only more so." What is at the root of all this needless delaying? Just to mention a few, there is fear of failure, boredom, an unreachable standard, and inferiority. Any of these, coupled with self-deception, keep the procrastinator from getting started; he continues procrastinating until he must work night and day just to catch up. This time, he really cannot allow others to tempt him away from the job at hand, because he must isolate himself to get the job done. Try to get him on the phone, and he will not answer; he must get it finished. He is not rejecting others, but is merely the victim of his own procrastination. The end result is that a procrastinator does not enjoy life.

If you are afflicted with the tendency to behave in this manner, here are a couple of suggestions. Stop fighting the fact that you procrastinate, admit it, own it, and embrace it. Actually, you can make it work for you. Admit that you are not going to do the job until the last minute. Then go ahead and enjoy the interruptions that come in the meantime without getting frustrated that you should be doing something else. Second, take up the cross and deny the feeling of inferiority. Third, lower your standard. Remember that your 80% is like another person's 110%, for most procrastinators are perfectionist Thinkers by temperament. Fourth, realize that you can take on much more work than you thought you could. You are actually only productive, at best, 50% of the time. So take on more work. Fifth, start enjoying life! You will never be a "disciplined" person as defined by the "disciplined." You are what God made you.