"Know the value of time; snatch, seize, and enjoy every moment of it. No idleness, no laziness, no procrastination: never put off tomorrow what you can do today."
Lord Chesterfield
"The appetite of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the appetite of the diligent is abundantly supplied."
Proverbs 13:4
In my life, I have procrastinated more times than I want to admit. There are projects that are very important to me, but I put them off until it's almost too late. Many times I compromise my own dreams, because I have left them until the last minute.
Okay, this is the reason I am writing about procrastination. This week I planned to write on a different subject, but I was having a problem. Every day, I needed to write, but I just had a really hard time getting started. Suddenly, I knew my topic for this week was procrastination, because I needed to learn more about the subject. My procrastination had to stop, so I could write this week's blog and post by Friday.
For me to defeat procrastination, I had to figure out why I procrastinate, why I need to stop procrastinating, and how I can refrain from procrastinating again. If I could figure this out, then, I could not only stop procrastinating myself, but also help others stop procrastinating. This is not just a problem for me. Many people I know procrastinate, so they end up doing things at the last minute. We all know this means many of our projects are done hurriedly, so our projects are mediocre. My purpose in life is to help others with problems they have, so they can become successful.
"And He said to another, Become My disciple, side with My party, and accompany Me! But he relied, Lord, permit me first to go and bury (await the death of) my father.
But Jesus said to him, Allow the dead to bury their own; but as for you, go and publish abroad throughout all regions the kingdom of God.
Another also said, I will follow you, Lord, with Your party; but let me first say good-bye to those at my home.
Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back [to the things behind] is fit for the kingdom of God."
Luke 9:59-62
It was important to figure out why I procrastinate. What I figured out was, for me, I had so many fears. Fear is what makes me procrastinate. There are times when I want to complete an important project, but fear takes over and I end up waiting and, sometimes, never completing the project. Fortunately, this is becoming less and less, and, for my blog, I started writing as soon as I realized I was procrastinating.
Fear is probably the biggest dream killer. For me, it is disguised in different forms. First, it comes to me in the form of failure. If I try something that may seems difficult or important to me, I may screw it up and fail. What I have come to understand is that failure is part of the growing process. For me to succeed, I have to endure some failure.
Second, fear attacks me in the form of perfectionism. Perfectionism is misunderstood. Many people believe that all perfectionists are people who work until they get it right and are high achievers. This is not the case for all perfectionists. Sometimes, I stop working on projects, because I don't think I'm doing a good enough job. All I can think about is how horrible I would feel if I failed. The thought of how bad people would view me flashes through my mind.
Third, I created a busy life, so I didn't have to deal with what really scares me. In an attempt to not feel fear, I filled my life with busy work. What is busy work? Busy work is small unimportant jobs that can be done by almost anyone and are not important to our success. This includes little jobs that friends ask you to do, but they only interfere with the important projects that will propel you toward success.
Fourth, fear actually attacks my body. Many times I obsess over whether I am going to succeed or not and actually make myself sick. Fear is a disease that makes my body ache, my head throb, and depression to take over my whole outlook in life. Good thing I found a solution to controlling my deepest fears instead of fears controlling me.
"Look carefully then how you walk! Live purposefully and worthily and accurately, not as the unwise and witless, but as wise (sensible, intelligent people),
Making the very most of the time [buying up each opportunity], because the days are evil.
Therefore do not be vague and thoughtless and foolish, but understanding and firmly grasping what the will of the Lord is."
Ephesians 5:15-17
For me to live purposefully, I must conquer procrastination. This means I need to leave fear in the dust and push through difficult situations. Ephesians 5:15-17 says it well: "…Live purposefully and worthily and accurately…" In verse 16, we are told to make the most of our time, and we need to buy up each opportunity. There are many opportunities that I failed to take, so, now, I must reap the consequences of my foolishness. Not taking opportunities that come to me is foolishness.
When we take opportunities and push through tough times, we are more likely to get past the difficult moments, learn a valuable lesson, and gain the confidence to push through the next difficult task. This reminds me of a lesson that I learned in high school. One day, I was getting my things ready to go home. If my memory serves me correctly, this revelation occurred my junior year. It was the last day of the year and everybody was excited about summer vacation.
As I got all my stuff and headed home, I realized that when I started my freshman year, I was petrified and didn't know if I could make it through, and, due to procrastination, I did receive some low grades. My sophomore year, I felt a little better about starting the school year and I procrastinated less and less. Of course, by the time my junior year started, I was even more confident that I would succeed, because I knew more about diligence and hard work. As I thought about how scared I felt going into each grade, I realized that by the end of the year I had pushed through and worked on the difficult subjects. Even hard subjects were passed, because I never gave up and learned to get my assignments started early and done and turned in on time.
Each year, I got better and better grades. This was because I learned from one tough subject to the next how to pass my classes. In reality, I am an exceptional student, but I allowed fear and procrastination stop me. When I got into college, I realized that it was even more dangerous to procrastinate. College wasn't a requirement, so they didn't have to put up with me. Now, I am in graduate school and take each class knowing all it will take is hard work and determination.
"My evil genius procrastination has whispered me to tarry 'til a more convenient season."
Mary Todd Lincoln
Today, I am glad to say that I tackle procrastination and get rid of it at the beginning of the project. Well, except for this week. Now, at this point in my own personal development, I realize that there are multiple reasons I need to learn how to avoid procrastination. These reasons are to succeed at any project that is important to me, to have more confidence, and to increase my ability to handle bigger projects.
When I started blogging, I understood that it was important for me to get my blogs done every week. This success is important to me. My dream is to write inspirational blogs and stories. If I procrastinate, I am less likely to post on time. Plus, these blogs motivate me to write other stories and books. At this point, I am not only writing a blog on a weekly basis, but I am also working on a success book and seminar presentation.
On March 31, Brenton and I will conduct our first success seminar. This means that we have to prepare material, so we can teach others to have confidence in success. Procrastination is the one thing that can hurt our presentation. It can either keep us from going through with the seminar or it can stop us from giving a quality presentation. This is true for any big project I take on. At one time in my life, procrastination would have killed my opportunities, but I am now capable of working through the fear and pushing myself to finish each project.
It goes without saying that as I complete important projects, my confidence increases. This is a huge step for me. In the past I had no confidence to work on important projects. My desire is to confidently succeed at my purpose, which is to teach others the lessons that I've learned. Once I realized this week that I was procrastinating and why, I began to tackle the issue and make a plan to stop procrastinating.
When I procrastinate, my confidence decreases, anxiety creeps in, and, sometimes, depression gets me down. Depression is a sign to me that something is wrong and needs my attention. This week it was my procrastination. In the last year, I've learned is that it's okay to have a difficult week, because, through the difficulty, I have the opportunity to learn valuable lessons. Of course, the first thing I think about is teaching these lessons to others. As soon as I think this way, my depression disappears and my confidence increases, again.
Finally, I need to stop procrastination, because I want to increase the ability to complete even more difficult projects. For example, when my children go to school, they have to work on the subjects for their grade level. Each year they increase their grade level and the level of difficulty, because, as they get to the end of the year, that grade level has become easier. Our projects should be viewed the same way. When we get in and work on a project that is difficult, it gets easier and easier until we are ready to tackle an even more difficult project.
Here is the problem, when I procrastinate, I don't learn from the project. This means I am not ready for the next difficult project. My life becomes complacent and boring, so my stale life can once again lead to depression. To make sure my life is not stale and depressing; I need to make sure procrastination is not a part of my life.
"[It is then] my counsel and my opinion in this matter that I give [you when I say]: It is profitable and fitting for you [now to complete the enterprise] which more than a year ago you not only began, but were the first to wish to do anything [about contributions for the relief of the saints at Jerusalem].
So now finish doing it, that your [enthusiastic] readiness in desiring it may be equaled by your completion of it according to your ability and means."
II Corinthians 8:10, 11
At this point in the week, I have taken the next phase of procrastination. This phase is learning to refrain from procrastination. There are several techniques that I have used to minimize procrastination. These techniques are pretty simple, but I needed to learn to use them consistently. The techniques I use are taking big projects and breaking them down, turn-off all distractions, schedule your day, make a commitment to complete what I start, and do the hardest thing first.
The best way for me to deal with complex projects is by breaking them down. For instance, I had an idea for a book on success. This seemed like a huge undertaking, but I broke down the book subjects into blogs. These blogs I post each week, but, while I'm writing the current blog, I compile the old blog topics into one book. Sure, this means I have to change the blog a little, because the blog has to fit into a book format. All the work is worth the end product, which are weekly blogs and a published book.
All projects can be broken down into smaller jobs. In my college classes, I always seriously adhere to the syllabus. The syllabus breaks down the class into smaller projects. As I read over the syllabus, I focus on each individual assignment and not on the class as a whole. When I do this, I am less likely to procrastinate, because the smaller assignment doesn't seem as difficult. Also, most of the beginning assignments are easier and prepare students for the last difficult assignment.
Turning off distractions isn't always easy. Sure, in theory, I just turn off the television and cell phones and we're good. Well, I know this is not the only distraction that I will face. There is my spouse, children, friends that drop by unannounced, and neighbors having a loud party. These are just a few distractions that can interfere with important projects. Many times, these distractions just become my excuse for procrastination. If I eliminate these distractions, then I have no excuse to procrastinate and delay any completion of my project.
Brenton and I know people who either make distractions their excuse or they create the distractions themselves. This I know something about, because, like I said before, I have suffered from procrastination most of my life. When I am procrastinating due to distractions, I always check to see if I caused the distraction. It is important for me to acknowledge what caused my procrastination and to immediately start working on the project.
An example of causing a distraction to get out of work is a child who continues to break their pencil. This is just a way the child is procrastinating where their homework is concerned, because they keep breaking their pencil and need to get up every few seconds to use the pencil sharpener. One problem with this habit is that they usually end up missing out on play time. Usually, if they miss out on play time long enough, they will eventually realize all they have to do is complete their homework without distraction to play.
For several years, I have worked on planning, which also includes scheduling. Most of planning I understand and easily put into practice. Scheduling is not as easy, and I have struggled to schedule whole days. In my attempt to schedule, I am able to take my projects and schedule when I do each part. This way I know exactly when to work on the project, which makes it harder for me to procrastinate.
Scheduling is easier when done weekly. This way I can look at the full week each day. What is great about scheduling is that it also takes care of distractions, too. When I write down each part of the project, I make sure everyone knows that I am working at that time. This helps them to stay away and let me work. It is also a good idea for me to turn off the phone, so I am not tempted to pick it up. It is important to let friends know when I am working, so they are not tempted to interrupt. If I schedule projects, I can also take myself out of a distracting environment. There are other places that I can work. For example, go to a quiet library or to a coffee shop with Wi-Fi.
Many times, I start projects, but quit them before they are finished. Completing my projects, like this blog, is important to my success. This is why I'm making a commitment to complete each project I start. This also includes creating a contract of completion. A contract keeps me from procrastinating too much. There are times I still procrastinate, but I am getting better every time I complete a project. Maybe someday, I will never procrastinate. That is a goal worth working toward.
One project that I started and completed is my bachelor's degree. My senior year was taking forever to complete. Sometimes, I would continuously put off taking classes (procrastination). Finally, I made a commitment to complete my senior year and actually graduate. This commitment was what I needed to succeed. A year and a half after I made my commitment, I graduated from college. Every time I was tempted to procrastinate, I would look at my commitment and push through the tough classes (math).
Although there are times that it's easier to start with the easiest part of the project. In some projects, it is best to start with the hardest part. When I clean my home, I always start with the kitchen, because it is the filthiest part of my home. This is a lesson that I now apply to jobs that are extremely hard and tedious.
Sometimes, when I get the hardest task out of the way, I am ready to tackle even more tasks. It gives me the boost I need to accomplish the rest of the project. The confidence I receive from completing these tasks makes me want to work even harder. This means the next time I am ready to start a difficult project, I am less likely to hesitate and more likely to jump in with both feet.
This week's challenge is to take the step necessary to stop procrastination. Remember, the benefits of diligently working on a project are higher than quitting because a project gets too hard. The confidence and satisfaction of a tough project completed is worth the difficult moments. Conquering fear and completing projects is the most important step to success, so I promise to never give into procrastination and make completing difficult projects a habit in my life.
"Putting off an easy thing makes it hard, putting off a hard thing makes it impossible."
George Claude Lorimer