When you’re stuck in a procrastination season
It’s been another disappointing, unproductive day. Soon it will be bedtime, and you sorely wish you had done the day better.
Ignoring the grammatical incorrectness of that last sentence, isn’t this the way you feel, day after day, when you’re stuck in a procrastination season? So discouraged that you’ve given up hope of redeeming the few remaining hours of yet another day?
But … what if, right now, you were to recall 2 Timothy 1:7 (ESV) “For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” and tear yourself away from the TV or the internet and … get something done?
Wouldn’t that be awesome?
You still have a few hours left. These hours can be the best ones of your day – if you want them to be. In light of 2 Timothy 1:7, imagine how a person who has been given a spirit of self-control would use these hours. Pray and ask God to help you be self-disciplined. Then, with the Holy Spirit’s help, act like a self-disciplined person.
Tackle that task you’ve been putting off or at least put a good-sized dent into it. Get up and wash the car, make those business calls, empty the dishwasher, or start a load of laundry. And before you lay your head down to sleep, make a list of what you hope to accomplish tomorrow in the first hour at home or at the office.
Shoot for progress, not perfection. Even with the best intentions, you’ll most likely slack off again. But don’t let it spiral into a perpetual problem. When you mess up, repent. Literally. Ask God to forgive you for wasting the time He has given you. Each day commit again to do better. Resolve to work hard. Determine to honor God with your time and all you do.
Several years ago, I struggled to complete even the smallest tasks. Desperate, I began setting my timer for five minutes. It was almost miraculous how suddenly motivated I became. I was amazed at how much I accomplished before the timer dinged.
Try it. Set your timer for 60, 30, 15, or even five minutes, then start a project or continue one you’ve been working on. You’ll find that, when you get moving and experience the good feelings productivity brings, you’ll kick your procrastinating season in the teeth.
Then you can go to bed feeling encouraged because you did the day better.
What do you think?
I’d love to hear your thoughts about this post. (Others might also benefit from your comment.)
- How does procrastination affect you?
- What helps you when you’re stuck in procrastination season?
- Have you tried setting your timer to help you get moving?
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Thanks for the motivation “booster” shot, Sheryl, I needed it!
You’re SO welcome, FellowBeliever. Thank YOU for reading my devotion – and for leaving a comment!!
FellowBeliever, please see the comment I made below. I hope it will help. ((I realize, of course, you may not know to return to this page to see it. If not, I do hope this day will be a productive one for you.))
Thank you for the much needed encouragement as I kept putting off mopping my floors until today. It will get done, amen!
Yay for mopped floors!! 😉 Thank you, Wendy, for stopping by. If it will help, you can post when you’ve completed your task.
“Imagine how a person who has been given a spirit of self-control would use these hours.” That’s a good image to have. I want to start imagining that. I know it all starts in our thought life.
I remember the days when you motivated us to set our timers to get things done. That really helped me when I participated in your challenge. I sometimes went kicking and screaming to set my timer, but it was amazing what I got done. Why don’t you try that again with us?
THANK you, Barbara! Before I read your comment, I sort of did just that. But now, due to your encouragement, I’m going to revise my comment to make it a challenge. Thank you, again, Barbara.
FellowBeliever, if it will help, you can post when you’ve completed any task you’ve been putting off.
AND TO ANYONE ELSE who needs to challenge themselves to get something done – or at least put a dent in a project they’ve been putting off, Set your timer for 5, 10, 15, 30 or 60 minutes and see how much you accomplish! Then tell us how you did!
(Again, thank you, Barbara, for encouraging me to post this challenge.)
I have several items on my To Do list. I’m going to set my timer for 60 minutes and see how much I can get done. I’ll come back here (and on my blog) to let you know how much I got done!!
Sheryl Hilker Hamilton Boldt I got a lot accomplished in 15 minutes. Gathered up and started laundry. Changed clothes. Loaded dishwasher. Now I’m exhausted but feel great about what I am getting done.
Wonderful! Good job, Barbara. I’m going to post a comment about what I got done in the last hour so everyone (the millions haha) can see it. 🙂
I did set my timer and began getting things done on my To Do list. I cleaned the kitchen (well … most of it) and then decided to use the time to do a couple of loads of laundry AND to put a dent in setting up a new printer. ~ Techy stuff is hard for me. So breaking it down into 15-minute “steps” helps. It’s almost set up, but the instructions tell me to load the software via online. Yuk! So I’m going to set my timer for only 10 minutes. Certainly, I can handle 10 minutes’ worth of techy stuff, can’t I? I’ll let you know how
it goes.
NOT going well. 🙁 But I won’t give up. I’ve contacted Epson support. Sometimes, even setting the timer isn’t the answer. lol But at least it got me started. Yay, at least for that.
During these surreal times I find that it is easy to become immersed in darkness. I can not begin to tell you how many booksI have read in the last year as a means of totally escaping reality. I have selectively chosen works with a happy ending. Unfortunately, sometimes I neglected things which should have been done in a timely manner. God has saved me on numerous occasions!
Hi, Marla. Praise God for His faithfulness.
It’s always nice to hear from you. How can I help you? Is there something you’d like to get done before going to bed? Remember, just setting the timer for a few minutes could get you started.
I agree with you about the timer! I am taking care of all the essentials, I just worry that I am not doing enough for my fellow man. Every morning I-make the time to spend at least a half hour with our Lord before I begin my day. I must admit, that quite often, after that I check the news feed to send my mood into the dumpster. That is why my escape is Christian fiction. The “happily ever after” appeals to me.
I understand, Marla. More than you know.