Friday July 30 2010

The Cure for Procrastination

"There is nothing I cannot master with the help of Christ who gives me strength." Phil 4:13 (JB)

Don't ask, "What do I feel like doing?" Instead ask, "What does God want me to do?" The Bible gives us five actions we can take to stop procrastinating. 1. Stop making excuses -- "The lazy man is full of excuses." (Proverbs 22:13 LB) What have you been saying you're going to do -- one of these days? What do you make excuses about? The number one excuse I hear is, "When things settle down, then I'm going to ...." Things will never settle down. You must make a choice to priorities what is important. 2. Start today -- Not next month, next week, or tomorrow. "Never boast about tomorrow. You don't know what will happen between now and then." (Proverbs 21:1 GNT) None of us is guaranteed a tomorrow. I want you to write down three things you know God wants you to do, one item each these three areas: your family, your personal life, and your career. Choose one of those three and decide to start today. Even if you can only work on your goal fifteen minutes a day, do it - you'll feel so much better! 3. Establish a planned schedule -- Proverbs 13:16 says, "A wise man plans ahead. A fool doesn't." (LB) If you fail to plan, you're planning to fail. You need to designate some specific time slots each week for the things you need to do. Whatever it is, put it on your calendar. And if it's a big task, break it down into small pieces. Break it into bite sized pieces. 4. Face your fears -- We hate to admit we have fears because we think they're a sign of weakness. But fear is a sign of humanity. Only fools are not afraid. You've heard it said, "Courage is not the absence of fear, it's moving ahead in spite of our fears." The Bible says here is nothing you cannot master with the help of Christ who gives you strength. 5. Focus on what you gain, not the pain -- There are very few things in life that are easy. You must push through the frustration and look at the gain beyond the pain. Concentrate on how good you're going to feel once you've finished the task. Galatians 6:9 says, "So let us not become tired of doing good; for if we do not give up, the time will come when we reap a harvest." (NLT) Don't ask, "What do I feel like doing?" Instead ask, "What does God want me to do?" Jesus never said life would be easy. There will be sacrifice and commitment. But there is tremendous reward when we do the things he calls us to do.

Posted by Rick Warren