Saturday, June 14, 2008

Procrastination

You've heard the question, Why put off till tomorrow what you can do today?

We all know the answer to it - because "today" we'd rather do something else...or perhaps, nothing at all. For me, Princess Procrastination (originally, I typed in 'Queen' instead of Princess, but it smacked of older than, and even though I am 'older than' I didn't like it), what I need to do today I will often put off till tomorrow because I simply do not FEEL like doing it today. Tomorrow sounds more hopeful, like, maybe, I will feel like it then. And sometimes I do.

Here's the drawback - all my tomorrows slam into one another in the most long and windy traffic jams. You know how irritating it is to be stuck in traffic, inching our way slowly forward, like a 99-year-old man pushing his walker one inch per second. All you want to do is MOVE! To be free and able to zoom ahead at will. Well, that's the drawback to procrastination. All of the things I put off are still facing me, waiting to be done, holding me back from zooming off into the day with fresh joy and vigor for that day's happenings and doings and enjoyments! Procrastination is a thief... and I invited him in!

And then, oh, then, I become stressed and overwhelmed, and maybe a little self-loathing, leaving me pining to be a more disciplined person than I am, and wishing I did not have this snake-like list wrapping around my life.

It all could've been avoided, too, if only I had answered the above question with the correct answer: Indeed. Why put it off, when I am capable of doing it today?

It's never too late to begin anew! The Bible says that the righteous fall seven times and get back up. Those 'seven times' cover each day of this past week, but guess what? I'm getting back up! My daily planner is splayed across my desk, and with my smooth-flowing favorite fountain pen, I am going to take this piled-up list of to-dos and assign them time spots on next week's calendar pages. This might sound like more procrastination, but actually it is realization - that all my loathing, pining, and wishing will accomplish nothing but discouragement. Planning will help and is positive, a step in the right direction.

I might have made bad choices last week but I'm not today! Ahhhh.... God's mercies are new every morning!

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