Overcoming Procrastination
John Maxwell
The more we understand our reasons for procrastinating, the better we can develop a game plan to defeat the mañana habit.
— John Maxwell I learned my lesson about procrastination early. Every Sunday afternoon of my childhood, my father assigned weekly chores to my brother, sister, and me. Some were daily jobs and others, like sweeping the basement floor, were weekly. One Sunday Dad set a new policy. "You can do your weekly chores anytime you want. But Saturday afternoon we'll do something as a family. We'll go shopping or swimming or picnicking. But if your chores aren't done by Saturday noon, you won't get to come." When the next Saturday noon rolled around, my chore wasn't done. My dad kept his word. I watched out the living room window as the family car pulled out of the driveway, and my dad, mom, brother, and sister went for a day at the beach. We pastors are tempted to put off tough but necessary tasks. We need to confront a member about gossiping, but that could get ugly, so we visit someone in the hospital. We need to propose some cuts to balance the budget, but the tradeoffs will be painful, so we read a book. We need to clarify the church's ministry philosophy, but the more specific we get, the greater the risks appear, so we return phone calls and visit with staff members. We're working, but we're letting important, difficult priorities slide. That's procrastination, and the cost is high. Procrastination is easy to do, easy to rationalize, and tough to overcome. But even with a sanguine like me, I've learned it can be done. Why Mañana?
Reasons to procrastinate abound, some obvious, others subconscious. The more we uncover and understand them, the better we can develop a game plan to defeat the mañana habit. Here are four ...
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