Dealing With Procrastination: Simple Truths for Getting It Done

Dealing with procrastination requires facing the moment instead of trusting that tomorrow will make it happen.

The Truth of Dealing with Procrastination

Yesterday was a LONG day.

The last thing I wanted to do when I got home was wash dishes.

Okay, doing dishes is ALWAYS the last thing on my wish list, no matter what type of day I’ve had.

But this day, I REALLY didn’t want to do the dishes. They’d already been “soaking” since Sunday night, which simply meant I had been putting it off. They needed to be done.

My husband wasn’t taking the hints. And I’m pretty sure he was actively invested in not looking at the sink as he went to bed.

That left me.

The house quieted down, and I finished my writing work for the day.

Well. Almost.

I seriously considered going to bed. I tried to convince myself that I could do the dishes in the morning. After all, one more day of soaking would only help, right?

I knew the voice whispering for me to put it off. It comes around so often that I can almost recognize it even before it speaks. Procrastination was back. Despite how pleasing he sounds as he whispers his sweet nothings, he’s lying. He knows it, and I know it, even if I still fall for it some days.

I won’t get it done the next day. There will be just as many excuses to come up with tomorrow.

Plus, I reasoned with myself, even if I do get to it, I’ll just have to put something else off to have the time to do the dishes.

The whispers continued. “You can just get up a little earlier than normal.”

Has Procrastination ever whispered sweet nothings to you? Promises of more – more money, more time, more energy . . . always just out of reach.

Yes. Procrastination was right. I could get up earlier. But he also knew I wouldn’t, and so did I. The days that I NEED to get up earlier are usually the ones that I end up oversleeping.

Encouragement Helps with Dealing with Discouragement

“This is crazy.” My inner encourager kicked in, attempting to overrule procrastination. “You have spent more time thinking about the job than it would take to do the job. Besides, didn’t you commit this morning to do JUST ONE MORE THING?”

My inner encourager can be rude with her reminders.

With a sigh that would have indicated to most outsiders that I was facing a fate close to death, I approached the sink. Ten minutes later, the dishes were washed, the dishwasher loaded, the sink sparkling clean, and I even loaded the dryer.

(Ask me about my clothes washing routine that drove my husband to take over that chore).

Procrastination is a sly little devil. He wants you to keep putting off whatever it is you know you need to do because that means you can’t be where you need to be.

But dealing with Procrastination is necessary if you are going to keep his whispers from driving the cart.

A side note, I did get up early this morning (without the aid of an alarm clock, even). Instead of having to spend the time cleaning up the mess I didn’t want to deal with, I was able to cook my husband a hot, fresh breakfast and visit with him before he had to start his morning commute. It was a much better use of my time, in my opinion.

If procrastination had won, I bet I would have slept in. Who wants to face a pile of dirty dishes first thing in the morning?

What does Procrastination whisper to you?