5 Steps to Stop Procrastinating

Use these tips and Scripture from the Guideposts Daily Planner to put an end to putting things off.

A photograph of words depicting excuses for procrastination

Five ways to help you get things done with the help of God’s Word.

1. Start with Prayer.
A good prayer to begin the day is “God, You have given me life, strength, will, and this day in which to use them. Help me remember that the hours come from You so that I do not return Your gift empty.”

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2. How to find God’s time.
Make a habit of saying: “This one thing I do” (Philippians 3:13). Because Paul looked to God’s guidance for every action, he perceived his life not as a clutter of conflicting demands but as a unity.

READ MORE: PRAYER AND PROCRASTINATION

3. Set up your never file.
Take a fresh look at the things you’ve been putting off. Ask God if you are truly intended to do them. If God shows you that something does not “belong to your peace,” commit it crisply to your never file.

4. Use the appointment approach.
The procrastinator’s favorite word is sometime. The easiest and quickest cure is to do it right now, which we cannot always do. Most of the enterprises have to wait for the future. But make sure it’s a definite future: at four o’clock this afternoon on Tuesday.

5. Keep asking for God’s help.
If you slip back into the old pattern, pray: “God, make me more aware of what matters most so that my life may come into harmony with Your times and seasons.”

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