Four Ways To Postpone Your Procrastination

"Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts..." Hebrews 3:7

I’ve put off writing this for too long.

I was visiting with a friend recently. He brought up the issue of procrastination. It was not his procrastination but that of a coworker. This coworker’s ongoing procrastination was affecting major parts of the organization. That got me thinking.

What about my personal issue with procrastination? I’m a very busy person and I pride myself on getting a lot of things done. So why write on the issue of procrastination? It’s because I make myself busy on other things to avoid the thing I really need to deal with. Procrastinators can be very busy people; they are just not busy doing what is most needed.

There are several reasons for procrastination. One is that what needs to be dealt with is just unpleasant. We may avoid doing something until it just must be dealt with. Another reason is that we think something is not as important as other things. We may even think that it will just take care of itself if we leave it alone. Leave it alone and it will go away. Really?

Fear is another reason for procrastination. We are afraid of failure. Maybe you put off finishing your degree or starting that business or having that serious conversation.

Procrastination has been called the mother of all demons and can literally stop you in your tracks from achieving all that you desire.

Here are four suggestions I and others have found helpful in slaying this intimidating giant.

1. Do it now

Hold your breath and jump right in! Putting things off until the last minute is a bad habit and like all habits is ingrained in our subconscious mind and hard to break. It feels like the normal thing to do, and we simply continue along our path. To complete a task immediately may even feel strange or like a forced action.

2. Take baby steps

Sometimes we procrastinate because the task may be intimidating to us. Perhaps we have no possible inkling on where to start. In these cases, it is quite fine to take it one step at a time. Say you are preparing a business plan and for the 5th time this week, you’ve turned on the PC and looked at the blank screen. Or you’ve just remembered you need to do some more research before you begin…you’re still not ready. You simply need to break down the project into smaller pieces and tackle each bit separately. Make each task an individual project and after completion of each one, celebrate and acknowledge your achievement.

I like to make a list every day. I try to create the list the night before. I break the action items down to their simplest form. For example, If I’m hosting a meeting, I don’t just write down “Host meeting.” That is too just too big a thing to make it one step. Break it down into several. I write down:

1. Confirm date and time.

2. Secure a location.

3. Determine program

4. Create guest list

You get the idea. What I don’t get done that day, I move it to my list for tomorrow. I very rarely get all my “to dos” done every day, but I get a lot more done than if I didn’t have a list. I also get the endorphin pleasure of scratching off items that are completed!

3. Drop it

Why force the issue? Perhaps your procrastination is over just one thing. It may be time to ask yourself what is really going on here. If you have been ‘dragging your feet’ on something for a very long time, just dropping it may all be for the best. Something somewhere is trying to tell you something (that’s a lot of “some’s”). That something could be your intuition or a touch from God.

Years ago, I was in a leadership position to hire a new team member. Hiring a person to fill the vacancy in my team would make my life a lot easier, so I was very motivated to find the right person. I thought I had, but I just couldn’t make the hire. His resume was impressive. His references were great. We got along. There was just something there. I eventually had to pass on offering the position to him. That cost me an extra six months. But in the end, I was glad I didn’t offer him the position. I ended up hiring the perfect person for that position and there was no check whatsoever in my gut out him.

Think about something that you have been putting off again and again and again. What are the reasons that you need to complete this task in the first place? Does someone want you to do this? What is THEIR agenda? What are YOUR reasons for this lengthy delay? I find it amazing that 99% of the time I put off doing something, I am thankful that I did! I must admit that this a solution to procrastination by eliminating the thing you need to do, or in my case, the person you are considering. You could say it is procrastination in the negative. With that said, this kind of action should be a last resort.

4. Support team

Do you put off tasks because you feel that they are too big and complex for you to handle alone? Or because you need assistance? Be honest with yourself. “No man is an island”. Ask for help! There are many resources out there that can provide you with all you need to carry out your job. If you’re a solo-professional and you put off answering emails, then don’t answer them yourself. Hire an assistant, find some college students that want experience, get a family member to help.

Procrastinating on life changing activities can be overwhelming. Get a mastermind group together, find a mentor, join a support group. Hire a leadership coach. You don’t have to do it all by yourself. Just ensure that to kick this habit; you do what feels good to you in whatever method you choose. You’ll surely postpone procrastination at least for today.

The Ticking Time Bomb of Our Day

In September of 2021 I sent a community ministry survey to over 600 members of our 38 churches in FBA. I asked 11 questions ranging from what they thought were top needs in their community to what their church was doing in community ministry to share the Gospel and make followers of Jesus. The responses to the survey were telling.

In all of the questions which pertain to perceived needs, this issue surfaced repeatedly. What issue was it you ask?

• Children and Education

Surprised? I was.

However, I would have put children’s education in a list of top ten. For years reading scores have been going down. As many know, the Department of Corrections makes recommendations on the amount of future prison space based on the present reading scores of 3rd graders. It’s a tried and true formula. If you don’t first gain the ability to read well; second, you won’t comprehend and learn. Illiteracy and lack of comprehension is a formula for societal failure. Never mind they won’t be able to read the Bible.

I could go on and on about this ticking time bomb, but I don’t need to. You can read the handwriting on the wall. You can think this through and see where it is going. The problem is that it will likely be worse than you imagine. That is why we need to take action and do it together. It is a problem that is bigger than one person or church can handle.

This is why I am imploring you to consider becoming involved in fighting childhood illiteracy and at the same time demonstrate the love of Jesus to them.

READ Georgia is a strategy that serves children in their quest to become good readers through sight word practice and it also extends a gospel witnbess in the community.

Fairburn Association is holding an interest meeting for this on February 3, 2022. Registration closes this month. Please forward this to others who may be interested. For more information and to view the short interview with Lorna Bius, click on the button below.

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How to Successfully Combat Fear

Recently I sent out a survey to members of the churches in our local association. I asked them to name a top issue on their mind and on the minds of people they live and work with. Fear and anxiety were at the top of the list.

Wait! Aren’t Christian people supposed to not be fearful? Certainly, we should not live our lives in constant fear. But let’s face it, we are all human and we have gone through nearly two years of a pandemic. Let’s give ourselves some grace and admit that we are probably struggling more than we’d like to admit.

Fear gets to the best of us, whether it is fear of failure, fear of success or even fear of fear. All of us have experienced fear at some point in our lives and it can be a real stumbling block that holds us back from being truly successful.

Fear can’t hold you back forever if you don’t let it. There are several ways to combat fear. Below are several, some are mental/emotional, some are spiritual, and some are physical. After all, we are body, soul, and spirit. I’m not a licensed counselor, but I am a certified Mental Health coach and I’ve stayed a night or two in a Holiday Inn Express. With that disclaimer, here are my top 11:

1. SEPARATE REALITY FROM PERCEPTION

Ask yourself: “What is really going on?” Try your best to locate the facts and place them over your feelings. Perhaps the rise in fear is due more to something that happened to us in the past rather than is happening now. I was let go from a job that I loved and was good at due to the pandemic. I have a besetting fear that it will happen again. It may, but I shouldn’t let what happened in the past control my emotions today. I had to find out what was going on inside.

2. IDENTIFY THE TRIGGER

Figure out what it is in a situation that triggers you. Learning to identify it will help you learn to combat it. We all have triggers. If you are not aware of yours, I’d suggest finding a good enneagram coach to help you to discover them and to work on them. A good Enneagram coach can also help with defense mechanisms, blind spots, fixations, motivations and more. You cannot deal with what you don’t know. Identify what triggers you is the only way to work on it.

3. KNOW WHERE FEAR LIVES IN YOUR BODY

A lot of the time, fear takes over physically. It affects different people different ways. Identify if/how it affects your physical body and do the work to take care of your body. Ex: if you hold stress in your back, you can learn stretches, foam rolling, etc. to avoid the pain.

Personally, I tense my chest, arms, and legs. Working out does wonders for me when I’m carrying a lot of fear, worry or anxiety. 95% of the time I feel so much better after working out these areas. I know others who tense their jaw or have stomach issues. There are things you can do that will help these areas as well but identifying them comes first.

4. PRACTICE GRATITUDE

Every day, list one to three things you are thankful for. It doesn’t matter how big or small it is, gratitude helps shift the mind into a positive light, which overtime, overcomes fear.

There is neurobiological proof that expressing gratitude releases positive chemicals in your brain and helps rewire your perceptions to be more positive and satisfying. It’s a drug-free feel good, and it’s good for you! But remember to write them down. It is the mental recognition and the tactile expression combined that helps.

5. LISTEN TO YOUR INNER VOICE

Monitor your inner conversations. If you wouldn’t say it to a friend, don’t say it to yourself. Speak positively to yourself and remind yourself of your strengths. Dr. Daniel Amen calls this negative self-talk “ANTS: Automatic Negative Thinking.” If you do this, go back to the first suggestion of separating perception from reality. We are kinder to others than we are to ourselves in our self-talk. I’ll probably post something on this soon. In my coaching practice, I often ask clients about their “inner-critic” and what it is saying to them.

6. PRACTICE SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES

First, what are spiritual disciplines and why practice them? Spiritual disciplines are practices of the mind and body that we undertake to bring our personality and our total being into alignment with the Spirit of God to live the Kingdom of God life. The disciplines basically open us up to a greater work of God’s grace in our lives.

The best spiritual disciplines are those that involve systematic reading, meditating, memorizing, and practicing the Scriptures. It is placing God’s thoughts into our thoughts. Romans 12:2 calls this “renewal of the mind.”

Prayer is also a close second to the reading of Scripture. Let your prayers be informed by the Scripture reading. Prayer is talking to God, but it is also listening to him.

There are many more disciplines than these two, but these two should always be a part of your spiritual arsenal in combating fear.

7. CREATE A NEW ASSOCIATION

What I’m writing about is a new point of reference. Remind yourself that the feeling and the moment will pass. Life will move on. Focus on the positive outcome of the situation, rather than the scary in-between.

8. LOOK AT THE GLASS HALF FULL

Perception is a very powerful thing, and how you feel about your situation dictates how you respond. So, think positively and you’ll give yourself a much better chance of success. This won’t happen overnight; practice with just one thought. What is one recurring negative/fearful thought you have? Work on reversing this one thought. I’m not saying it will be easy but overtime, this will become a habit.

9. PRACTICE BREATHING EXERCISES

Breathing helps center your body; when you stop breathing, your heart stops beating. You can do a grounding exercise, or even just take 5 deep, long breaths at any point to calm and center yourself. It is best to start your day with this, but feel free to practice all day long.

I have a smartwatch that periodically asked me to stop what I’m doing and practice a breathing exercise. Most of the time I don’t, but sometimes I do, and I can say it has helped me to refocus and relax.

I was part of a spiritual direction group that practiced what is called a “breath prayer.” It is where we went for 10 minutes just focusing quietly on our breathing. It was a way of letting everything else go. It worked.

10. CREATE A SAFE SPACE

When you feel safe and secure, there is no room for fear. Find somewhere safe you can retreat to when ill feelings begin- whether this is a real place such as your bedroom, or a place in your mind such as the beach. This sense of comfort will soothe you and allow you to face your fear.

11. TALK TO A SAFE PERSON

Sometimes we just need someone to listen. Other times we need someone to talk to just to make sure we’re not losing it with reality. Then, there are times when we just don’t have any answers to our questions, and we need that person who can give good, compassionate but truthful advice. Therefore, you need a safe person. Perhaps you need more than one person for this.

Please keep in mind, these are just 11 strategies, not everything works for everyone. But this is a place to start. Start implementing these techniques into your life and don’t let fear hold you back from reaching your goals and your highest potential!

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