Procrastination. Admit it, we've all done it once in our lives. Whether it be on replying to someone's question, completing a homework assignment, or redecorating our kitchen, everyone has at one point put off something they could have done earlier.
For me, I never saw the problem with it. I continually told myself I worked better under pressure, or made myself believe I had more time than I actually did. And you know what all of that was? It was me lying to myself. That's right, I'm a liar. And so is everyone else who procrastinates.
You see, procrastination is "prioritizing according to my desires" (according to a friend of mine). The key part there is "my desires." We so often get our desires mixed up or misplaced. Our hearts so often tell us what we desire and our hearts are deceitful. Our prioritization should be according to what our priorities ought to be, not necessarily what we want them to be.
When I put off writing a paper or working on an article, I am putting my wants above my needs. I decide instead that I should catch up on some homework, go chat with a friend, or spend an hour on Pinterest pinning pins about Harry Potter or different foods to make. This is honestly a form of gluttony. I don't need to do these things, but I want to. Our culture has raised us to be consumers, and being a student that has homework to do, papers to write, and projects to present, that is quite the hindrance.
While God does not say outrightly "Thou Shalt Not Procrastinate" in the ten commandments, He does call us to live our lives with wisdom. Doing so should reflect in the choices we make in every aspect of our daily living, even in the small things such as homework. Being wise is setting time aside to get things done early and doing so to the best of our ability. The plus side of this is that we have time to ask questions about assignments and not look like slackers when we email the professor at midnight the night before a paper is due.
Conquering the habit of procrastination is tough and one I am still struggling to overcome, but it is achievable. Setting goals, time limits, and having accountability are keys to success in this area. I have made so many friends at college whom I tell that I'm procrastinating and they look me dead in the eyes and say how stupid I am for doing that (and I LOVE them for doing that!). It's time we recognized the problems in our life and chang them. It's time we did some conquering.
