Do you ever look at the clock and realize that the day is suddenly over, and nothing has been accomplished? The Lord has generously given us 24 hours each day to live our lives; one of our greatest gifts is time. I admit that I often squander this valuable resource. However, I know that God is good and He is our help. What does the Bible say about procrastination? I’ve gathered a handful of tips from the Word: let’s tackle this together.
1. Less Planning, more doing
“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty” (Proverbs 14:23).
Planning is important. However, sometimes though we get so caught up in pre-work tasks, that we run out of time for the actual work-work. Pre-work includes tasks such as writing a todo-list, cleaning up your desk to create the ideal work environment, even watching a YouTube video on ‘How to Increase Productivity.’ The irony, am I right? We feel like we are accomplishing something with these tasks. All of the feel-good hormones are still firing off in our brains like we accomplished something. However, at the end of the day, there is no progress on the high value tasks, and our stress is higher than ever.
The solution: just do it. Leave the dishes in the sink. Those emails that will just take five minutes-they will have to wait. Limit yourself to one to-do list, one outline, and then go for it. Eat the frog and dig into the meat of your workday. If this feels very painful, just commit to 15 minutes of deep work. You will probably work longer. But start. The Bible says that mere talk, procrastination, can lead to poverty. Less planning, less talking, more doing.
2. Commit your work to God
“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans” (Proverbs 16:3).
We can’t do this alone. We do not wrestle against flesh and blood. The enemy doesn’t want you to succeed, bear fruit, or live in peace. So we must rely on God’s strength to accomplish anything good. Trust Him that He has provided you with everything that you need. If you run into roadblocks, take a breath, send a prayer, and ask God for wisdom. He will provide an answer, or even an idea of someone who can help.
“Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain.” (Psalm 127:1)
Keep in mind that you don’t need to be perfect. The Bible says that we don’t have to conquer anything, including this procrastination issue all on our own. And you don’t need to always go above and beyond. Sometimes, especially as women, we feel as if we need to be prove our worth. And the pressure is paralyzing. If we aren’t amazing, overachieving superwomen, what are we? Know that you are enough. You only need to live one day at a time. Plug into the Vine. “Apart from Him, we can do nothing” (John 15:5). Lucky for us, He is the Creator of the Universe, omniscient, and omnipotent. He is more than able and willing to help us. Perhaps, with some of the pressure off of ourselves, we will feel empowered to carry on with our duties.
3. Be Aware of Distraction (Phone Use-let’s be real)
“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you.” (Proverbs 4:25).
We all know it. I had to say it. These little handheld devices are seriously disrupting our lives. While so many positive things arise from use of the Internet and social media (you may be reading this on your smart phone), our screen time is likely through the roof. As of March 21, 2022, the average American spends 7 hours and 4 minutes every day looking at some sort of screen. Of these hours, approximately 3 hours and 34 minutes are spent looking at our smartphones. So yes, it’s a problem. But we don’t need to spend any more time diagnosing the problem, we want answers and strategies.
- First, although you probably don’t want to know (I sure don’t!), look in settings and find your personal screen time. It’s going to be high. Don’t beat yourself up! Set a limit. Reward yourself when you accomplish your goal.
- Second, set your phone to gray-scale. The lack of color makes the device significantly more boring, because it dampens the dopamine response. Seriously, try this one!
- Third, identify your trigger. What is the feeling that causes you to pick up your phone? Is it boredom? Anxiety? When I am anxious about a task, I am subconsciously looking for that tiny burst of dopamine from my phone. Scrolling takes my mind off of the stressor for a brief moment (or not so brief!). It is an escape. After you identify the feeling that triggers your scrolling, think of a healthier response, what you will do instead of scrolling. Maybe drink a glass of water. Write that first sentence in the email you’re avoiding. Do 3 squats! Even better, say a prayer. Anything that isn’t scrolling. Without a plan, we will not change our habits!
“For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.” (2 Timothy 1:7). God actually gave us a spirit of power and self control! How cool is that! When we feel weak and unmotivated, we can trust God that we do have self control. Because he gave us that power. And we can do all things by his strength (Philippians 4:13).
I hope this list blesses you today! I’m determined to break the distraction-procrastination cycle. As a result of practicing what the Bible says about procrastination, I am sure that we can do it. So I am going to utilize these notes, and tackle my next big paper. I am going to resist that tricky smart phone, finally get started, and trust that God is the one who creates a good work in me and will carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6).
