Oh no! I forgot to do my homework!” Nathan cried. Now it was too late and the panicked look on his face revealed that he knew it. Yesterday my son played outside after school, ate supper, watched TV and then it was bedtime. Although it was a priority, homework didn’t seem all that interesting.
Sometimes we just don’t want to do what we know we have to do. When we face a task that has to be done, it’s hard to get motivated. If it’s a demanding task, we can often feel overwhelmed. When that happens, we procrastinate.

If it weren’t for deadlines, I’d be completely lost. And if it weren’t for the last minute, I’d never get anything done. Grant proposals must be submitted by a certain date. Sermons must be done by Sunday morning. Payroll has to be processed on time. And if you’re not at the school at 2:55 p.m., you’ll get a call telling you you’ve forgot your children again. (Of course, I never do that.)

As families grow and job responsibilities change, life can become tough to manage. Deadlines loom and the pressures can mount. I never expected to become a grandmother so soon, nor did I think there would be six of them in six years while I still had children at home. But life happens and we must learn to cope.

So, for my own mental health, I’ve decided to try a new way of looking at things. I mean, why push yourself when there’s a better option available? From now on, I’m going to procrastinate on purpose. According to Professor John Perry of Stanford University’s philosophy department, procrastination can be good for you. Here are some ways to help you procrastinate effectively:

• Fill your time with activities that can be described as useful. Watching the news is called keeping up with current events. Surfing the web is important research for college papers. Having a coffee with friends is networking. Remember, whatever activity you engage in, it must be more enjoyable than the task you’re avoiding.
• Set a goal for how long you want to procrastinate. That way, you have proof that you have every intention of finishing the task you’re avoiding.
• Use schedule conflicts to your advantage. Often something that was put off last month can be an excuse to get out of doing that new task on the top of your to-do list.
• Use clear thinking and justification. If you can’t find a way to justify the procrastination, then you’re not learning how to procrastinate properly.
• What’s more important: money or friends? Being there for your friends when they need you outranks earning money.
• And remember, never put off until tomorrow what you can ignore entirely.

Learning how to procrastinate effectively can be a useful tool in a busy world. Yet I believe God has a better way for us to handle our stress. In Luke 14:16-24, we read about the man who invited people to supper. All the invitees had an excuse as to why they couldn’t come, one by one turning him down. So he sent his servant out to the highway to invite anyone who would come. The lesson for us is clear-don’t put off God’s invitation. In this case, procrastination can be deadly.

Most Christians have good intentions. There are a lot of things we want to do for the Lord, but somehow these things get put off until tomorrow. For some, however tomorrow never seems to get here. Proverbs 27:1 says, “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring.”

Here are some ways to help you get the job done when everything is piling up:
• Pray. It sounds simple, but I set my phone to beep to remind me to pray. The busier I am the more I need to pray.
• Make a list. But not one of those prioritized ones. I have a notepad on my desk and each day I write down all the things I need to do. I start with something small so that I feel I’ve accomplished something. Then I dig into something that I know will take more energy.
• Stop, get up and stretch. I try to get up and talk to someone for a minute and maybe get myself something to drink. This helps clear my mind, especially if I’m stuck with something. When I return to my task, I can start again with a fresh perspective.
• Drink water and eat properly. There’s nothing worse than starting your day on an empty stomach and loading up on caffeine.
• If you don’t accomplish everything on your list, that’s OK. At the end of the day, I see what I’ve crossed off and congratulate myself on getting at least something done. Then I transfer the other items to tomorrow’s list.

Procrastination never really helps. It is better to start a hard task and get it half done than start nothing at all. The only things we should put off until tomorrow are those things that we shouldn’t be doing at all!

by Captain Kathie Chiu
Corps Officer and Executive Director of The Caring Place Ministries, Mountain View Community Church, Maple Ridge, B.C.