The Plunge: Overcoming Procrastination
Welcome to The Plunge, your daily descent into Christian Wellness.
Today, we face procrastination head-on. In Proverbs 20:4, Solomon lays it bare: "The sluggard does not plow in the autumn; he will seek at harvest and have nothing." Diligence isn't optional. It’s survival. But what happens when you can't summon the will to act?
Procrastination isn’t just avoidance. It’s a chain around your potential, a thief of time, a creator of chaos. It breeds stress, lost opportunities, and a void of unfulfilled potential. To break free, we must dissect it.
Fear. Perfectionism. Apathy. These are your enemies. Understand them to defeat them.
Fear of Failure: You're scared. Scared, you’ll fall short, so you stall.
Perfectionism: You wait for the perfect moment, the flawless plan.
Lack of Motivation: Goals are foggy, purpose is dim, and so you drift.
Research in Psychological Bulletin lays it out—procrastination drags you down, ramps up stress, and gnaws at your well-being1. Crush it, and you benefit.
How?
Set Clear Goals: Slice tasks into bite-sized chunks. Tackle them.
Prioritize: Treasure map. Know your “Musts.”
Eliminate Distractions: Clear your space. Sharpen your focus.
Create a Schedule: Carve out time. Stick to it. Forge a routine.
Seek Accountability: Find a comrade. Share your goals. Hold each other to them.
Reward Yourself: Celebrate the wins, no matter how small.
Get uncomfortable: Do something harder than the thing you’re avoiding.
Implement these tactics, and you’ll keep procrastination at bay.
Thank you for reading. As always, in Christ, engage, adapt, and overcome.
Remy Sharpe
Steel, P. (2007). The nature of procrastination: A meta-analytic and theoretical review of quintessential self-regulatory failure. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 65-94.