Tag: #procrastination

The Myth of Tomorrow: Embracing Today

How often have we said, I will do it tomorrow?

How often have we postponed our important appointments, e.g. our medical checkup?

How often have we procrastinated on important but not urgent tasks, e.g. writing our will?

Tomorrow is an Illusion

Our procrastination shows that we believe there is an infinite amount of tomorrows. Our urgency mostly comes when there is a deadline to meet, or a health scare, or a market crash! And sometimes, it is too late, resulting in regrets.

But the Bible warns against such complacency:

“Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”

— Proverbs 27:1 (ESV)

Today is Your Stewardship

We often think of stewardship in terms of money or resources, but our greatest stewardship is our time, specifically, our “today”. Each day is a precious gift from God.

Jesus lived with holy urgency:

“We must do the works of Him who sent me while it is day” — John 9:4

Embrace Today – in Good Stewardship

Let us be good stewards – faithful and obedient to God:

  • Start the day thanking God for each new day
  • Set aside time in the morning to seek God’s direction for the day
  • Turn your commune time into prayer time
  • Use break time to send encouraging messages of support and love
  • Be sensitive to God’s soft promptings to do things, whether it’s a Hello or a smile, or opening a door
  • When God nudges you to contact someone, do it immediately
  • When God convicts you of your sin, confess and repent as soon as possible
  • When God asks you to forgive someone, do it while you can – don’t wait until it’s too late
  • When God gives you a crazy impossible ideas, don’t make excuses
  • We are called to plant seeds “today”, but not demand a harvest by sunset – trust in God’s timing
  • End each day with thanksgiving to God for all His blessings and protection

“Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom” — Psalm 90.12

My Invitation

This is my invitation to you today – before the day ends, do one thing you’ve been putting off – not in your strength, but in surrender. Do the one thing that has been prickling you for ages, and God is reminding you today. You know what it is…

One Night Procrastination that led to 13 Days Delay

One Night Procrastination
One Night Procrastination

The day I wanted to apply for ISBN for my second journal book based on Esther, was the day that the Depositori (for ISBN application) website went down. I had tried to apply for it the night before, but I couldn’t download the pages for submission from Canva, thinking I can try again tomorrow. And as a result of one night’s procrastination, I was delayed for 13 days!

Waiting was frustrating as I checked the website and its Facebook page daily. After 10 days, I realize I need to stop waiting, and move on to my third journal, based on Ruth. I already have the momentum of two books, and need to continue to keep it up for my third book. I know after my first book launch last month, I was slacking. It took a lot more effort to get back my momentum. So now, I decided to move on to the next book while waiting.

Thank God I finally got the ISBN number today, not via the website which is still down, but by emailing them and filling up a Google form.

So now, whenever I am tempted to procrastinate, I think twice: what if this delay is not just for 1 day but much longer? I think that’s quite a motivation to get things done today!

Stop Procrastinating Now!

Yes, the last post I had written was one year ago. I had procrastinated for one year to resume writing my blog post today. The thing is: the longer I delayed it, the harder it was to get back.

I needed to know my compelling reasons for my blog:
– To share what I have learnt – distilling the knowledge and putting it concisely in a few short paragraphs (due to my short attention span)
– To live intentionally – not just going through the daily grind of living

I found that procrastination was a Stressor. It stressed me out that I am procrastinating. Worse, I am not able not do what I want to do, but I end up doing what I don’t want to do –  scrolling through endless social media news and videos for hours. So, it’s a double whammy!

I also found out that procrastination is sometimes caused by perfectionism. I realized that I was attempting to find the perfect topic to make a comeback and the perfect time too! Looks like one year is a perfect time to return?!

So today, I am following Nike’s simple and powerful logo – JUST DO IT!