Five Steps To Overcome Procrastination

July 11, 2011 in Personal Development with 9 Comments

Are you constantly putting tasks on the back burner and procrastinating? The Bible speaks to this issue in James 4:17 when it says, “Remember, it’s a sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.” To be honest, I never thought of procrastination in this light. I always thought that it was just something that some people just struggled with. In any case, how do we overcome this in our lives?

What's on your back burner?

Before we try to fix the problem I recommend that we look at some reasons why we do it. Once we know the “why” behind why we do something then we can jump to the “how” of correcting the problem. 

I normally procrastinate for a few main reasons:

1. I think the task will be too hard for me.

2. I haven’t managed my time well.

3. Lack of prioritizing on my part.

4. I don’t like this part of my job.

5. I want to wait until the conditions are perfect.

When we continually procrastinate in our lives it causes several problems for us. First, it hinders progress in our lives and in the organizations that we lead. Second, it causes unneeded stress in our lives because when we put something off we have to worry about doing it later. Third, it hinders the progress in other people’s lives because they are usually depending on what we do.

What can we do to overcome procrastination?

1. Realize that we can accomplish anything with the Lord’s help. Philippians 4:13

2. Take immediate action. If the task can be accomplished in less than 3 minutes then do not wait on doing it.

3. Write the task down and schedule it on your calendar. You can only accomplish that which you set out to do.

4. Realize that there will always be problems in life and that conditions will never be perfect. Ecclesiastes 11:4

5. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Overcoming procrastination is important if we want to lead effective lives. It’s hard for the Lord to give us more opportunities in life and in ministry when he cannot trust us with the small details of following through with the things we ought to be doing. I think procrastination is one of the little foxes that keeps people and organizations from excellence and going to the next level. Procrastination is the enemy to excellence. It’s hard to be excellent at something that you wait on doing.

What do you need to start now that you’ve been putting off? What else has helped you to overcome procrastination? Please leave a comment below.

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  • http://www.lifeofasteward.com Loren Pinilis

    Procrastination is the brutal killer of dreams. For me, one of the reasons I would procrastinate is a fear of failure. Deep down, it was easier to not strive for great things than to do so and fail. I had to remind myself of the love that Christ has for me and how it’s not conditional upon whether I fail in these tasks or not.

    • Eric

      That’s a great one to add as well. I often struggle with that one as well because I want to make sure that everything is perfect. Jesus never asked for me to be perfect because if I could I wouldn’t need him! Good stuff!

  • http://aronstrong.com Aron Strong

    I admit it. I wrestle with this. Your tips are solid, tested and true. I have to live by my calendar, it’s the only sure way to guarantee I get the boring parts of my job done.

    Though, sometimes I use another tip I’ll pass along. Apparently you can use procrastination as a means to get a lot more done.

    It’s called Structured Procrastination was created by John Perry, a philosophy professor at Stanford. It’s a pretty cool idea. You can check it out here: http://www.structuredprocrastination.com/

    Anyway, great post. Keep writing!

    • Eric

      Thanks for the props! I appreciate the input. I will definitely look into this resource. I tend to get more done when I’m under the gun! I suspect most people would admit this as well.

      • Gilda Garraton

        What a great theme here!!! you are just reminding me of all the things that I keep putting off and need to be done, they are simple but I just keep dragging them!!! thanks for the great advice
        Love your blog!

        • Eric

          Thanks for commenting. I hope that you have found it to be helpful.

  • Pingback: Why Do We Procrastinate? « Spiritual Teamwork

  • http://www.moreinmedia.com Dorien Morin

    Hi Eric,

    nice post. Something you touched on as well and I find to be so true is the busier I am, the more I get done. If I don’t have too many things on the back burner, and there is no pressure to perform or to deliver, I procrastinate. When I have lots of things lined up, I force myself to make a list, prioritize and then perform. So maybe we should all take on another thing or two to make sure we do the things we’ve already committed to. Does that makes sense?

    • Eric

      Hi Dorien,
      This definitely makes sense. My wife tells me all the time that I do my best work under pressure. I hate to admit it, but it’s true. It seems that when we are busy we tend to stay more organized and motivated.
      Thanks,
      Eric