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I know it’s not your favorite topic but the importance of being disciplined is one of the most important keys to your success in life. I read this somewhere: “The undisciplined are slaves to moods, appetites and passions.” Wow, that’s rather strong, isn’t it? But there’s truth in it. This is how the Bible puts it in Proverbs 5:22-23:
“The evil deeds of the wicked ensnare them; the cords of their sins hold them fast. For lack of discipline they will die, led astray by their own great folly.”
That’s pretty strong, I would say. It says that lack of discipline holds you fast in the cords of sin and can cause death. Obviously, being a disciplined person is a spiritual issue for us as Christ-followers.
A discipline that impacts your success is eliminating the bad habit of procrastination. You know, putting off until tomorrow what you should do today. Does that ring a bell with you?
I don’t have to explain the problems you create for yourself when you procrastinate, right? Things pile up, you miss critical deadlines, and when you finally get around to doing what you’re supposed to do, you’re in such a rush you do a bad job. And that’s just for starts.
Here is a sure-fire cure for procrastination. Ready? Whatever you have to do today that you don’t want to do, do it first! I promise it works because it has worked for me for years. It’s simple and it works. Now, I know you can’t always do that dreaded thing first but do it as soon as you can. Get it behind you. It sets you free for the rest of the day.
And here’s another suggestion: Take a big job and break it into small parts, put a time frame for each part and then do one small piece at a time. When a job is big, it discourages you because it looks like mission impossible. But you can succeed one piece at a time.
So, I want to encourage you not to be a slave to procrastination. You won’t believe how good you’ll feel when you get those things done that you really don’t want to do—and you do it right. Just do it now and do it right. You’ll be glad you did.