Before I start the talk, I want to speak a blessing over you all and I pray that the Almighty God would bless you abundantly in all that you do, today, with your family and in your work and life. My prayers are with you and over you.
A couple of weeks back I remember putting off doing something, until the window that I had to do that passed and it was too late. I remember feeling so bad about it – was really upset with myself, angry, frustrated and all the other emotions that come with knowing that you ought to have done something and didn't do it. Now it was too late.
I came across this article by Rick Warren on "Why Do I Procrastinate?" that put this in perspective, because basically, that's what I did. Interestingly, he had a verse from our Holy Book: "Anyone who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins." (James 4:17) This put it in a new perspective for me. Basically, the Bible is saying that if we know that we have to do something and we don't do it, then we're really making a big mistake. It's not something that God would want us to do; that's what sin is. In the article, he gave five reasons for procrastination. I thought that I'd throw these out to see and see if it triggers something in you, because we all tend to procrastinate.
Psychology Today says, "Everyone procrastinates sometimes, but 20% of people chronically avoid difficult tasks and deliberately look for distractions." So there's the possibility that we could be among that 20%.
The five reasons:
1. Indecision: not to be decisive, not sure of when to act. The Scriptures say, "A double minded man is unstable in all he does." (James 1:8)
2. Perfectionism: waiting till you get it absolutely right. "If you wait for perfect conditions, you'll never get anything done." (Ecclesiastes 11:4) We wait for the right time, the right moment, the right circumstance or situation and it never comes and the moment passes.
3. Fear. "The fear of man is a trap." (Proverbs 29:25) We put off things like going to the dentist, or getting a surgery done, or going for marriage counseling because we are fearful of it. The fear of doing something prevents us from actually doing it.
4. Anger. That can be a deterrent. We are angry about something and put off taking a decision about an issue that we need to deal with.
5. Laziness: just not doing it.
He ends that article by saying, "The next time you find yourself procrastinating, stop and ask yourself why." Maybe run yourself through that 5-point grid and see if any of these are the reason.
Joshua R. Ferrari wrote a book 'Getting Things Done On Time: Conquering Procrastination'. In it he says, "A procrastinator typically has five tendencies or traits:
1. They overestimate the time they have left to perform tasks.
2. Or conversely, they underestimate the time it takes to complete tasks.
3. They overestimate how motivated they will feel the next day, the next week, the next month to do whatever they are putting off. They think they will be better motivated at some other point.
4. They mistakenly think that succeeding at a task requires that they feel like doing it. "I may not feel like it so I'll wait until the feeling comes along," and we all know that it never comes.
5. They mistakenly believe that working when not in the mood is sub-optimal. If you're not in the mood to do something, you will not do good work.
You and I have gone down that path before and we recognize why we do things. We may not be able to understand how to overcome that, but knowing that there is a reason why we do something is the starting point in being able to tackle that particular area and move with it.
I love what Theodore Roosevelt said, "In a moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing. The worst thing you can do is nothing." That's so true! We procrastinate, we tend to wait till the last minute, then before we know it, that last minute has come and gone.
I came across an article by Vineet Nayar, which plays the devil's advocate on procrastination. He writes in HBR Blog, "Speed Kills. Slow Is Fast." In it he says, "Most of us believe that speedy decision-making is critical for success today, and dub its absence as procrastination or managerial dithering. However, by focusing on how quickly we make decisions, are we abandoning the need to listen, discuss, evaluate and respect different points of view?" He's making a very valid point. He is saying, "Take the time that you need to decide, but the moment that you decide, act very quickly." Take your time deciding, but once the decision is made, act on it.
There's a lovely book by Frank Partnoy called "WAIT – The Art & Science Of Delay." In it, he talks about how it is so important to wait till the last minute in terms of a decision, but then, to act quickly.
Many years ago, I was playing table tennis with a friend who was an excellent player. Within a couple of minutes I realized that I was getting the trashing of my life. I asked him to give me some pointers on how to improve my game. I'll never forget what he said. He told me, "You rush to meet the ball. Don't do that. Wait till the ball comes to you. That's what gives you the extra time to decide what to do with the ball, where to place it, how to place it, what kind of spin to put on it – all this because you have a little bit more time.
Frank Partnoy, in his YouTube video says, "Most tennis players have about 500 milliseconds from the time somebody serves to the time they react. 200 of those milliseconds go in seeing the ball and 15 milliseconds go in hitting the ball. The remaining 285 are what they use to prepare." That's very useful information, isn't it? While we sometimes lump everything in the area of procrastination, both Vineet Nayar and Frank Partnoy seem to say that there is some good in waiting. To be able to wait just that little longer before we act on something, to find out if it is the best decision that we are making. In fact, Frank Partnoy says, "Find out the time frame for the decision, and then make it at the last possible moment." Find out what time frame you have, whether it's an hour, a day or a week. Don't rush in to make the decision but wait till the end to make that decision. Then as Vineet Nayar would put it, "Act fast after that decision is made."
He ends his interview by saying; "We need to get comfortable with delay." I like that! Even as I thought about procrastination, they are so right. We think the opposite of procrastination is jumping in and making quick decisions, when it really is not. Sometimes it is better to wait, understanding the time frame we have to make a particular decision and then only, making it.
Well, I think that's a good word for each of us to look at why we don't act, maybe and say, "If I am procrastinating, then why am I procrastinating? Am I being indecisive, am I being a perfectionist? Is anger or laziness or fear playing a role?" Ask yourself why and then ask God to help you overcome it and move forward. But if you are one who typically jumps the gun on things, maybe it's a good thing to take a little bit more time, understand all that there is and then take the decision. Having taken the decision, then act on the decision immediately.
My prayer is that God would give us wisdom to know clearly where we are in this entire spectrum. Let me pray with you. Almighty God, bless each one of us and help us to really understand what we are doing in our lives, whether we are procrastinating or not, whether we are making hasty decisions. Give us the wisdom to make right decisions. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
• Rick Warren, "Why do I Procrastinate," http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/procrastination
• Vineet Nayar, "Speed Kills, Slow is Fast." http://blogs.hbr.org/hbr/nayar/2010/11/speed-kills-slow-is-fast.html
• Frank Partnoy, "WAIT--The Art & Science of Delay,"
• Joshua R. Ferrari, "Getting things done on Time: Conquering Procrastination" New York: Oxford University Press, 2001 (pp 30-46).
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