Many of us struggle with procrastination for various reasons whether it’s laziness, busyness, carelessness, or fear. Whatever the reasons, God isn’t honored by our putting off things that we need to take care of. Yet many of us have tried different kinds of strategies and yet still find ourselves in a glut. What are the 6 ways we can overcome procrastination today?
#1) Come to a place of recognition
“I have considered my ways and have turned my steps to your statutes” (Psalm 119:59).
We must first come to admit that we have a problem. Our family and friends have probably mentioned our procrastination, but we wave them off with excuses. However it always catches up to us somehow and we suffer loss in academics, friendships, finances, or possibly even our jobs. Once we are at a place of admission, we are ready to make a change. The only one wanting us to stay in the state of procrastination is the devil because he knows the hour is late.
#2) Seek out the root cause of your procrastination
“Test me, Lord, and try me, examine my heart and my mind” (Psalm 26:2).
After we recognize that we have a problem, we need to get at the root of it. We must ask the hard question: why am I always behind? It could be a management of time issue or perhaps you are overcommitted and stretched. Fear is a big cause of procrastination because of the looming risk of failure. Whatever the root cause of our procrastination—God is faithful. When we confess our sins and accept His forgiveness, the reason for our tardiness becomes clearer as the Holy Spirit will reveal truth to us.
#3) Pray to God for wisdom on a plan
“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (James 5:16).
Dealing with the reason of our procrastination brings us to the place of prayer. We need to seek and ask God for wisdom on how to overcome this weakness. The Lord hears the prayers of those who are sincerely repentant and willing to make the necessary changes. However we must ask Him in faith without wavering in unbelief. Once we pray, we can begin to listen to the gentle prodding of the Holy Spirit who will give us the right plan to overcome.
#4) Begin with the most difficult part of the task first.
“May he give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed” (Psalm 20:4).
Many times the Holy Spirit will lead us directly to the hardest part of our project. This would feel contradictory to the mindset of starting with the smallest of issues and gaining momentum. The problem is that many of us are in a tight place and “straightening the chairs on a sinking ship” may not help us. When we overcome procrastination by finishing a hard task first—we sense the accomplishment and move forward to getting other things done as well.
#5) Keep an accountability partner.
“Do two walk together unless they have agreed to do so?” (Amos 3:3).
When we really want to do better, we step up and share with our friends. Perhaps we have a friend struggling with procrastination as well, then we can hold each other accountability to overcome this weakness. This should be someone we can trust—not just to help us stay on track—but also to give us grace for the times we fail in our efforts. The idea is for us to keep pressing towards a habitual lifestyle of making deadlines and it may take a little time to get there.
#6) Push yourself to accomplish goals one day at a time
“Little by little I will drive them out before you, until you have increased enough to take possession of the land” (Exodus 23:30).
Every day there are opportunities for us to procrastinate; however, there are also many God-given pathways leading to victory. We must turn to God with our weakness and pray regularly for His help to become people of integrity and known for our impeccable word. Because the Bible is God’s love letter to us—we can find a scripture to memorize and meditate on that will help us press forward when we are tempted to fall into bad habits of procrastination again.
Press Past Procrastination!
You were born and called for a greater purpose in Christ Jesus. This reality should be the motivation to move us forward past procrastination. After the day is over, we are all one step closer to standing before Jesus. Don’t we all want to hear “Well done!”?
Article by Crystal McDowell
Crystal McDowell is a writer, speaker, and teacher with a passion to encourage believers to know and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ through practical application of God’s word.
Crystal and her husband, Marshall, raise their five children in the Bloomington, IL. As a freelance writer and editor for over 13 years, Crystal has published numerous Christian curriculums for Sunday School and VBS as well as many articles dealing with marriage, motherhood, and relationships. She’s a weekly staff writer for www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com as well as writing her own blog at http://crystalmcdowellspeaks.blogspot.com.
