Put Off Procrastination

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Bowling with Bumpers

Habits & Routines

1 Aug

When this former procrastinator was in the fourth grade, I went bowling for the first time. My total score for the whole game was either one or two! (How could I forget?) Only once did my ball make contact with the pins. All the other times it rolled off to the side and down the gutters.

At that bowling alley, there were no “bumpers” for children to use. Bumpers are long low pads placed inside the gutters’ full length. They keep the ball from rolling into the gutters and thus missing the pins. The ball gently bounces off the bumper and continues on its way down the lane toward the pins. Clearly, I needed that help!

I need the same help now. As I’ve pondered how to make exercise work in my morning, I’ve realized that routine is like bowling bumpers. Routine helps me reach the pins – my priorities.

So, the ball is me – my use of time and effort. I want to knock down the priority pins at the end of the lane. The gutter is anything I fall into that carries me away from the lane I should follow. Routine is the bumper that insures that I stay in the lane and therefore knock down some pins. Bumper routines keep me from putting off what I ought to do now.

For those who think routine is too restrictive, remember there’s plenty of space in that lane. We can go down the center, to the right, to the left, or cross back and forth. There’s lots of wobble room. But once I hit a bumper, I’m directed toward the pins and not allowed to wobble off into the gutter.

Devotions, exercise, and work time are priorities for me. I’m now figuring out a new morning bumper routine that includes those.

Two other bumpers for me are dinner at 6:30 p.m. and sending my accountability partner a list of priorities I’d like to accomplish each week.

We identify our priority pins – scripture memory, professional reading, teaching Johnny math. Then we set up some kind of bumper routine to help us stay in the lane so we hit those pins – an alarm clock, a partner to meet, a dog to walk.

Every trip down the lane won’t be a strike where we knock out all ten pins. Sometimes, yes; sometimes just a pin or two. Either way, with bumpers, we keep ourselves in the lane and hit SOME priority pins. Without bumper routines, we can roll in the gutter and miss ALL the pins.

What are the priority pins you want to knock down? What bumpers have you set up to make sure you hit them?

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BETH STERNE
Welcome! It's great to have you here. I'm a follower of Christ and a learner of new ways. By His grace, I am gaining victory over procrastination. This is where I share struggles I face and lessons I'm learning. Join me and other sisters as we put off procrastination and put on peace.

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"Beth’s procrastination talk led me to understand procrastination as a heart issue in need of God’s restoration not just a change of my ways. Beth’s personal experiences helped me discover practical ways to attack my own procrastination. As a result I have become a more loving wife, mother and friend who is able to use the gifts God has given me more fully. I highly endorse this talk and would love to hear it again and again."

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Julia F.

"Beth’s procrastination talk led me to understand procrastination as a heart issue in need of God’s restoration not just a change of my ways. Beth’s personal experiences helped me discover practical ways to attack my own procrastination. As a result I have become a more loving wife, mother and friend who is able to use the gifts God has given me more fully. I highly endorse this talk and would love to hear it again and again."
https://putoffprocrastination.com/testimonials/julia-f/
“Beth’s presentation on procrastination was truly eye-opening. I knew I had a problem with procrastination, but never thought twice about how it impacted my relationships and showed God that I wasn’t onboard with His plan. I began to see each instance took away from being fruitful; I was living for myself! After this revelation, I have been working on procrastinating less. I can see places opening up in my life for more peaceful moments, more time with and for friends and family, and more time for God’s plan to unfold. It’s amazing to know there’s more to life for me than a life full of “should haves” as a result of procrastination.”

Carole S.

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2018-08-16T14:42:59-04:00

Carole S.

“Beth’s presentation on procrastination was truly eye-opening. I knew I had a problem with procrastination, but never thought twice about how it impacted my relationships and showed God that I wasn’t onboard with His plan. I began to see each instance took away from being fruitful; I was living for myself! After this revelation, I have been working on procrastinating less. I can see places opening up in my life for more peaceful moments, more time with and for friends and family, and more time for God’s plan to unfold. It’s amazing to know there’s more to life for me than a life full of “should haves” as a result of procrastination.”
https://putoffprocrastination.com/testimonials/carole-s/
“After Beth came and shared about procrastination, many realized that it is possible through the Lord's power to stop putting off what God has called us to do. One mother finally started a blog and another posted a ladies; tea for her church months in advance so that ...she would not put off having it. Although I thought I was not someone who procrastinates, I realized I had some relationships that I needed to work on. Procrastination, I learned, is not just about getting things turned in on time, it's about listening to God and doing what He says to do when He tells you to and obeying God's Word.”

Rebecca F.

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Rebecca F.

“After Beth came and shared about procrastination, many realized that it is possible through the Lord's power to stop putting off what God has called us to do. One mother finally started a blog and another posted a ladies; tea for her church months in advance so that ...she would not put off having it. Although I thought I was not someone who procrastinates, I realized I had some relationships that I needed to work on. Procrastination, I learned, is not just about getting things turned in on time, it's about listening to God and doing what He says to do when He tells you to and obeying God's Word.”
https://putoffprocrastination.com/testimonials/rebecca-f/
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Beth Sterne - Put Off Procrastination
Go to the ant, you sluggard;
consider its ways and be wise! It has
no commander, no overseer or ruler,
yet it stores its provisions in summer
and gathers its food at harvest.
Proverbs 6:6-8
... you have put off the old man with
his deeds, and have put on the new
man who is renewed in knowledge
according to the image of Him who
created him.
Colossians 3:9-10

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