   | Conquering Procrastination By Dan Vis May 21, 2017 Comments: 47 |
Note: Since we've been focusing this month on goal setting, projects, planning, and the like, it seemed appropriate to pull this old article out of the archives. Enjoy reviewing the suggestions!
I believe procrastination is a sin. If you define procrastination as putting something off that we should be doing now, then it certainly falls into this Bible definition:
James 4:17
Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.
And if it is a sin, we know at least two things from I Corinthians 10:13There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.:
First, procrastination is something we all struggle with. It's one of those things that are "common to man".
But second, when tempted to procrastinate, there's always a way to avoid it. God will, "with the temptation make a way to escape".
If you struggle with procrastination, having a few tricks in your back pocket to help get you started on something you are putting off, is important. Here's a few suggestions that may work for you:
The Swiss Cheese Technique
Sometimes we procrastinate because we have a big project and just a small window of time available. At first glance, it makes more sense to focus on some small, less important task, that can fit into your available slot. The problem is, you may never get that giant block of uninterrupted time you need. If you end up filling all your free snippets of time with trivial tasks, you will never get around to that important project with the looming deadline.
The solution is to turn that project into Swiss cheese. That is, start poking holes in it. Even if you just have 5 or 10 minutes, try to find some tiny task you can do to advance your project. One of those tasks might just be making a quick list of more tiny tasks required by the project. Another might be prioritizing those tasks. But there will be many more. Pick one or two and squeeze them into your slot. You will feel a sense of progress. Make enough holes, and finishing the project will come into view more quickly than you would expect.
The White Knuckle Approach
Another reason we put priority tasks off, is they are unpleasant. Our natural tendency is to gravitate toward those activities we like to do, and avoid those we don't. But priority tasks don't go away. They keep coming back until they are dealt with. And if we struggle with procrastination, these can get backlogged--until we find ourselves overwhelmed with a long list of imminent deadlines for unpleasant tasks. Who wants that kind of stress?
Try "white knuckling' it. That is, address the situation face on. Acknowledge what you are doing, and determine to make at least some progress on one of those tasks you have been avoiding. Tell yourself that you are surely able to endure it for at least 5 minutes. You are going to have to do these tasks eventually--so why not do at least a bit of one of them now? Tough it out. Once you get into it, you may just find it is not near as bad as you thought.
The Straw Man Solution
You may have heard something described as a "straw man" argument. Basically an inaccurate description of someone's position is presented, and then that imaginary position is discredited. You can use an imaginary "straw man" to help you overcome procrastination as well.
Let's say you are procrastinating because you are intimidated by the complexity or challenge of some project. You don't feel you are up to the task, so you hesitate to tackle it.
Take a moment to imagine someone else were doing that task. What steps would they take? What would a competent solution look like? Write out a quick list of the details involved in your "straw man" getting it done. Then take a look at the list: what on that list could you do to help your "straw man" out? Pick something you feel comfortable doing and start on that. Do this a few times, and the task will soon begin to seem more doable.
The Research Method
There's an old saying that goes "familiarity breeds contempt". That may be true in some situations, but the opposite is true when it comes to procrastination. We're actually more inclined to put something off if we don't know much about it, and more inclined to dive right in if it is something we are knowledgeable about and comfortable doing. In fact, experiments have shown that the more information you have on a subject, the more interested you become in it. So use this fact to your advantage.
If you suspect you may be struggling with a task because you lack information relevant to completing it, take a little time to do some research. Do a quick internet search. Drop by the library for a how-to book. Talk to someone who may know more about the subject. Try to gather a few bits of information, and make some notes. It may just jumpstart your engagement in the process.
Leading Triggers
Sometimes, all it takes to get moving down a track is to identify a trigger for a familiar process. If you find yourself facing an important project and having difficulty committing to it head on--you may be able to slide into it by committing to the trigger instead.
Suppose for example, setting an alarm isn't enough to get you up in the morning, because you keep snoozing it. Try putting your alarm across the room. Getting up out of bed to silence it, may be enough to trigger your wake up process. Once out of bed it's just as easy to continue on to the bathroom or wherever you need to go next. Getting out of bed is the leading task. You may not be fully committed to starting your day when the alarm goes off, but once you are across the room, it becomes easier to make that choice.
Have a big writing project you need to work on? Why not sharpen a pencil and put a blank sheet of paper in front of you on your desk? Been putting off some exercise program? Go grab your running shoes and start putting them on. Been wanting to read some book? Purchase a copy of it and place it on your nightstand. Learning to find and use these leading triggers may be enough to get you going.
Forward Thinking
One reason we procrastinate is shortsighted thinking. That is, when confronted with some task, our focus tends to be on what is involved in completing that task rather than what completing that task (or failing to complete it) will create. In other words, we are focused on the present rather than the future.
You can overcome this tendency by being intentional about shifting our focus to the future. Take a moment to reflect on what that task will accomplish. Why is it important? What will it make possible? How will your life be better. Thinking about those benefits may inspire you to get started!
The reverse works too. What will happen if you fail to complete that task? Or don't complete it on time? What is the potential impact of missing your target completion date? What other projects will be delayed or otherwise affected? How will it affect the people around you? Visualizing these negative consequences may also motivate you to get started.
The Reward
This is one of my favorites: the reward. You can try this approach anytime you are having a difficult time getting started on something important. Do a bit of negotiation with yourself. Agree to do something positive if and only if you are able to achieve some specified level of progress on your project.
Spend one hour doing some activity, writing so many pages, exercising so many minutes, whatever. In return, you will reward yourself with a guilt-free break to take a walk, spend a few moments on some hobby, read something you enjoy, call a friend you've been dying to catch up with. As long as you can come up with an appropriate (positive) reward, and discipline yourself to stick to the terms of your agreement--dwelling on the reward can be a powerful motivator to action.
The next time you find yourself tempted to procrastinate, try one of these strategies. See if you can't find the way of escape that works best for you!
There are two more things we know about procrastination, from I John 1:9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness..
First, if we confess it as a sin, God is faithful and just "to forgive us our sin". That means, we don't have to let our past failures keep beating us down.
Second, God is willing to "cleanse us from all unrighteousness". In fact, ultimately, He is the only one who can truly empower us to overcome! After all, God alone can change the heart.
Comments
What about you? Do you struggle with procrastination? What solutions have you found to work for you? How important is it to defeat this sin?
 | Posted by Qing Ling on 04/23/18 | |
| Jackie you summarised the strategies well. Those two things stood out to me too. 1) Poke holes at it/attack the project bit by bit. 2) persist with step 1. | ||
 | Posted by Dan Vis on 01/26/18 | |
It's been said, "procrastination is the thief of time". So true, isn't it Arlene Webb? Here's an interesting quote from the great little book Steps to Christ: "Beware of procrastination. Do not put off the work of forsaking your sins and seeking purity of heart through Jesus. Here is where thousands upon thousands have erred to their eternal loss. I will not here dwell upon the shortness and uncertainty of life; but there is a terrible danger-a danger not sufficiently understood-in delaying to yield to the pleading voice of God's Holy Spirit, in choosing to live in sin; for such this delay really is" (Steps to Christ, p. 32). Just so I don't forget, here's where I stumbled on to both these quotes. It's a great article on the subject: Confessions of a Procrastinator. It's worth the read... | ||
| Posted by Dan Vis on 01/22/18 | |
Glad you enjoyed today's article Valerie, Lynn! Always appreciate the feedback. :) Interesting point about it being "presumption". Quite a thought! | ||
 | Posted by David Grabe on 01/22/18 | |
Greetings to all my FAST friends in Jesus's Holy, Mighty-& Overcoming procrastination Name! I totally agree, Sister Valerie & Sister Lynn! It is presumption-and it is a sin..."But Thanks be to GOD which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ! I Corinthians 15:57But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. | ||
 | Posted by Metron Ziga on 06/01/17 | |
| Wow, thank you very much for the tips. I will definitely try them out. | ||
| Posted by Dan Vis on 05/31/17 | |
| Thanks Penny! Glad this information was helpful. And good point, that sometimes we need to try a combination of approaches! :) | ||
| Posted by Qing Ling on 05/30/17 | |
Diane - I procrastinated in reading this memo too ;) (was wanting to be in the 'right headspace' - but actually, it's good to 'just do it' sometimes and not put it off because of some made up excuse) perfect corresponding verse, Pam!!! Psalms 119:60I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments. - here's a reference connection tip: 60 seconds in a min, 60mins in an hour - don't waste time, delay not to keep His commandments! :) Valerie, You hit the nail on the head about committing to prayer this area of sin in our lives. AMEN! As the memo says - I Corinthians 10:13There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. - God will make a way to escape. But if we even refuse to admit our procrastination as sin, then we are refusing to give God a chance to save us from it! Linda, to add to what Dan has already said, I would re-read James 4:17Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin. and allow God to show You His plans for you. This is a really good memo relating to our lessons from the Life Focus System :) Dan I actually have trouble understanding the Straw Man thing. Are you saying to pretend someone else is doing the job and I look at it as a 3rd person/external helper?
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| Posted by Dan Vis on 05/27/17 | |
| I don't know about the worst! I think it is a pretty common problem Lillian. A lot of us out there... :) | ||
| Posted by Dan Vis on 05/25/17 | |
| Great point about presumption, Valerie! Thank you for sharing that perspective. Very insightful. | ||
| Posted by Dan Vis on 05/25/17 | |
Hi everyone, glad so many found this article helpful. :) Rebecca, there's not a way currently to stop and start your review at various times through the day. It is unlikely I will be able to implement that reason for technical reasons. You can however, set a cap on the number of verses you see each time to 30 or 50 (it's in the engine settings). You can then review it more than once per day--which will be needed to get through all your verses if you have a bunch. But I'd first start with trying to carve out a regular block of time for consistency sake, and as Fiona suggested, work through your verses quickly. I like your quote Stella Tigere about procrastination being the thief of time. Very good... Pam, see my note above about not being able to pause the engine. I like the ISV for Psalms 119:60I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.. Linda, rather than focusing on the question you asked, I would recommend focusing on experimenting with some of the ideas above to see if you can't do better. I think we all have room to improve! :) Here's a quote I stumbled on to from Steps to Christ which captures how serious procrastination is to our spiritual life: "Beware of procrastination ... There is a terrible danger--a danger not sufficiently understood--in delaying to yield to the pleading voice of God's Holy Spirit, in choosing to live in sin; for such this delay really is" (Steps to Christ, p. 32). The more we can learn to respond to the Holy Spirit's every prompting, the better! | ||
| Posted by Linda Griffin on 05/24/17 | |
| I have ADHD. And of course I procrastinate all the time. I have medication which I have been taking but I can't tell much difference. Is it still a sin for me? | ||
 | Posted by Diane Castanon on 05/24/17 | |
| This topic of procrastination reminds me of the bible verse, Proverbs 13:4The soul of the sluggard desireth, and hath nothing: but the soul of the diligent shall be made fat.. I desired to read this Monday Memo, but put it off for other readings and projects... I should have opened it and read it on Monday... Thank you! | ||
 | Posted by Pamela Kendall on 05/22/17 | |
Here is a procrastination verse (or rather an anti-procrastination verse)! "I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments." Psalms 119:60I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments. The International Standard Version even includes the word "procrastinate" in this verse: I hurried and did not procrastinate to keep your commands. Psalms 119:60I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments. (ISV) | ||
| Posted by Pamela Kendall on 05/22/17 | |
Rebecca If you happen to have a PC computer you can get SwordScipt a free scripture memory review program. So long as you complete all your memory verses in one calendar day you can come back to continue your review any time during the day as often as you need to. I try to do my review at breakfast, but if I don't have time to finish before work I can finish in the evening after work without having to start over. Dan I would love it if the engine could somehow let you "pause" your review and resume later without having to start over if you don't have time to finish it in one sitting. I really love the portability of the engine and the fact that I can do it on my phone when walking for exercise, but would like to have the option to pause the review if needed and restart where I left off and still have it "count." Stella Tigere I love the saying you posted "Procrastination is the thief of time." I definitely have trouble with procrastination. Thanks for all the good pointers and "ways of escape" you mentioned Dan ! | ||
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