Have you ever realized that a few months, if not years, have passed and you did not do certain things that you had promised yourself to do? That’s procrastination and many of us are guilty of it. Procrastination can be defined as postponing what could be done today to tomorrow. Before we know it, tomorrow becomes another day, then weeks, then months, then years and sometimes or most of the time it never gets done.
How does one overcome procrastination?
1°Set small attainable goals toward your project, and remember small amounts sums up to a large total. Talk to people, ask for advice, find mentors that can help you advance your dream or cause and do it today, not tomorrow. In the Bible, when God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, Abraham did not say let me spend another year with him, build memories and love him as much as possible before I return him to you God, but instead, he promptly prepared the journey. In same way, as women of faith we have to diligently obey to our calling.
2°Design an execution plan. Procrastination happens as we waste time thinking about the logistics instead of coming out with an execution plan. Sure thinking is important, but will not lead you anywhere if it is not executed.
3°Prepare yourself since not all things will work according to your plans, to that end leave space for surprises and a room to accept changes as they come, while maintaining your goals. There will always be impediments and discouragements, but these are part of the journey and will help build your character. Find solutions to the issues, but do not let them derail you from your dreams.
4°Cultivate self-discipline; your life accomplishments lay in self-discipline. Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 10:23, … Not everything is good for you… Not everything is beneficial for you. Self-discipline allows us to focus on what’s beneficial and good for us. For instance, Samson was a child of promise, God had a mission for him before he was born but because he lacked self-discipline and obedience, we all know how he died. He failed to accomplish the caliber of his call! We may feel like our lives are far from the Bible perceptive, but I can assure you that it is not the case. Let us bring this in our era to our generation. You may know that you have a calling to evangelize, mentor young men/women or mission. Yet, instead of working towards your calling, you spend your free time watching Netflix, Hulu and many other entertaining things while hours pass, then days and eventually What we do fail to realize is that we are watching someone else’s dream become a reality while ours remains in a dormant state. Again, watching a movie is not bad, but the time that we waste watching four to five movies a day can be reduced if we apply self-discipline to our lives and control our time to work on our dreams and calling.
5°Stop hiding behind “I am praying for this.” As a Christian, this should be our first reaction, but are you really praying for that or are you using it as an excuse? By the way, this is completely me, and most of the time, I am not even praying for direction at all. I kindly leave it in the back of my mind, until something else shakes me, then I remember what I was supposed to be praying for. I am not saying not to pray because planning and praying go hand in hand when you’re walking in your purpose. Take Esther for example, she fasted and prayed and had time to plan the banquet. Similarly Nehemiah took time to pray, but also came up with a plan of what he would do to repair the fallen walls. In these two cases, prayers went along with careful preparation and when the opportunity came to speak of their plans, they made well thought out requests. Here it is also important to remember that faith without action is dead (James 2.14).
6°Procrastination is an enemy of dreams. As women of faith, we pray to receive direction of our lives and how we would like to continue working for the kingdom. I believe that God answers our prayers when we seek him (Jeremiah 29:13-14). He gives us an idea, a project to work on; at first, we are thrilled, then the excitement settles in, then nothing more. What ends up happening is that the worries of life and other things replace the dream and direction. Here and there, you hear that small voice in your heart and mind that reminds you of the work to do, but you continue to pull it and postpone it. You start telling yourself that when you finish school, when you obtain this position when you get married and when and when… In the end, it never gets realized. This year, today I encourage you to walk into your calling and dare to trust Him in the journey.
By Grace Karambizi
