Procrastinators – Don’t Wait Until Tomorrow To Read This

Thursday, July 27th, 2017     by Debra DuPree Williams     Start the Conversation


by Debra DuPree Williams @DDuPreeWilliams


I admit it. I am a procrastinator of the highest order. I don’t mean to be. I just am.

A prime example of my skill at procrastinating is this blog post. Here is it Tuesday, just prior to noon, and I am just now writing this. It is due Thursday. Normally, I would have about four weeks of blogs written and ready to go, but life got in the way─a writers conference in May, a trip to North Carolina in June.

Those are only excuses. My way of explaining to myself why I didn’t do this earlier. Why things got so bogged down that I am now playing catch-up.



Some Catchy Phrases
In composing this blog, I did a search of the phrase, Sayings about procrastination. I was rather surprised at how many I discovered. Some I’d heard, such as Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today. That was attributed to Thomas Jefferson. I’ve heard this particular quote all of my life. Perhaps procrastination was a trait I picked up as a child since I recall hearing my mother say this to me on more than one occasion. Now, how on earth I got away with not doing what I was told to do in her household is beyond me, but it must have happened. Right?

My sister and I talked about this last night. We wondered if procrastination is an inherited trait since both of us seem to have some innate degree of it.

I’m the mother of four sons and at least a couple have this, too. With one of them, it stems from his diagnosis of ADD. When he was a child, he was constantly overwhelmed with certain tasks. If they involved more than one or two steps, he had no clue where to begin. I made a list of the tasks he needed to accomplish. He could easily do them with this list, but without it, he would sit and stare at the mess in his room, or the paper that had to be written, or any number of things.

But Wait! There’s More
Here are a couple more sayings I found. I rather like these. Procrastination is opportunity’s assassin, attributed to Victor Kiam. Procrastination is the thief of dreams, Cree Indian (Native American) saying. The best way to get something done is to begin. I found no attribution for this, but it is a good one. In fact, that is the only way to accomplish anything, simply begin. .

Last night I listened to a webinar given by Jerry Jenkins. He talked about procrastination in this webinar. He says he actually schedules procrastination since he knows he will do it anyway. (Imagine that. Jerry Jenkins, author of the Left Behind series being a procrastinator.) But he makes no apologies for it as he understands that when he takes time away from his writing to go on that walk, or to do some other relaxing activity, his mind is busy working away on ideas. I think the bigger point here is that he doesn’t remain on that walk or whatever he has chosen other than the task at hand. He gets down to work and begins and finishes what he knows he has to do. He is a writer, he has deadlines.

Jerry says he procrastinates by cleaning his office as he cannot work without his workspace being pristine. I cleaned my office this week. I didn’t realize at the time that that action was a form of procrastination, but I know now that it was. Like Jerry, I have to have a clean and organized work environment. But I’m sure that my mind was whirring away in the background thinking up any number of new projects or ideas.

If you have issues with procrastination, perhaps Jerry’s plan would be beneficial. Write it into your schedule. You may be surprised by how much more productive you become.


Photo, Deankez, Pixabay


The Thief of Dreams

The Cree Indian saying mentioned above has quickly become one of my favorites. Procrastination is the thief of dreams. Do you have a dream? Have you taken steps toward seeing that dream fulfilled? If not, why have you put off pursuing it? What things or people or thoughts have kept you from running after it for all you’re worth?

Let me encourage you to just start. Another old proverb says that a journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. If you don’t start, how will you ever finish? You have to have faith (Hebrews 11:1) and trust in the One who loves you and, above all others, wants you to succeed.

Do you have procrastination issues? Tell us about it and how you deal with it. Leave your comments below.




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