Beat Procrastination by Living in the Now

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

─ Proverbs 12:25 ESV

Dr. Caroline Leaf encourages, “The more times you push aside an unpleasant task, the more times you think about it and it can become something even more unpleasant and stressful! Make it a habit to get it done first thing, so you don’t cause mental distress.”

In Joshua 18, seven of the tribes of Israel still had not taken possession of their promised land. “Then Joshua asked them, ‘How long are you going to wait before taking possession of the remaining land the Lord, the God of your ancestors, has given to you?’” (Joshua 18:3 NLT). The land belonged to them, and yet, they procrastinated. Throughout history, these seven tribes repeatedly took the path of least resistance.

Procrastination keeps us from living in the present and produces anxiety. The further we get away from this moment in time, the more worry and anxiety we usually experience.  If you are worried about what happened in the past or are troubled about what might happen in the future, you can’t live in the moment.

The seven tribes of Israel could have been hesitant to leave the comfort of their nomadic life. They were used to it. They may have feared confrontation with the inhabitants of the land that God told them to eradicate. It may have seemed easier to trade with the inhabitants instead of providing for themselves. Yet, God clearly commanded them to move forward.

We too can put off doing something confrontational, too big, difficult or even boring. Delaying what you know you must do keeps you from living in the moment. Beat procrastination by moving forward.

Today’s One Thing

Look at your list of things to do. What continues to remain on the list, undone? Why are you putting it off? Decide today that you will tackle the task you least want to do first. Make that a daily habit for the next 30 days and eliminate procrastination from your life.

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