What About Procrastination?
Is it harmful or helpful?
Someone recently sent me this little poem by Gloria Pitzer:
Procrastination is my sin It brings me naught but sorrow. I know that I should stop it; In fact, I will...tomorrow.
While this may bring a smile to our faces, it does address a serious subject.
Merriam-Webster says to procrastinate means “to put off intentionally and habitually.”
Often, procrastination carries a negative connotation. We keep putting off something that needs to happen: a doctor’s or dentist appointment, filing our taxes, or some other not-so-pleasant task. Sadly, some procrastinate themselves to an eternity apart from Christ! They hear the gospel, the Holy Spirit convicts them, but they keep putting it off.
While procrastination can be detrimental to our lives, it can also be helpful. I'm talking about what I like to call Planned Procrastination.
Planned procrastination is a key part of effective time management and productivity. Just because something needs to be done doesn't mean it needs to be done RIGHT NOW. Just doing whatever pops up at the moment is a recipe for failure in your priorities.
Jordan Raynor said it this way: Schedule according to priorities not proximity!
A doctoral program classmate of mine told me yesterday over lunch that he had started the program twice before. Why did he stop? Because his life circumstances changed, and he knew the timing was not right. The third time? Well, it was definitely a charm. He graduates in December.
The key to all of this is identifying what to focus on (Priorities) and what to defer (Planned Procrastination).
To help you decide, revisit your life mission, your season of life, your roles and responsibilities, and your current goals. Prayerfully ask the Lord for wisdom and direction. And don’t procrastinate on that which is most important!
Now, what do you do with those deferred items? Keep them on a list - you can call it whatever you like (Deferred Tasks, To Do Later, Someday Stuff, or Items I'm Procrastinating On). If certain items are time sensitive, put a reminder in your calendar to revisit them.
I hope that you now understand that sometimes procrastination is harmful, and sometimes it’s helpful. The key is to stay on the right side.