Put Off Procrastination

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Routine Application – Using Routine Where Most Needed

Habits & Routines

20 Aug

Welcome, former procrastinators, to our updated website! I’m excited to share what’s new. Thank you for your input. I look forward to learning more from you about overcoming procrastination. Many thanks to Carol, Mandy, Eli, and others who have worked to improve the site. I hope it serves you well.

Do you identify with my friend? She said, “My management style is to whack the alligator closest to the boat.” Love that! Hate that.

Her statement describes what happens when we procrastinate. We put off choosing the best waters to navigate, we find ourselves surrounded by demands we haven’t taken care of, we desperately need relief, and the best we can do is try to knock out the biggest threat at the moment.

Routine helps us avoid the alligators. It’s an excellent means of directing our ways. (Psalm 119:4-5.) Routine helps us do what needs doing when it needs doing – the most important things that keep our boat afloat.

Routine is also a hard thing for me to maintain. I think of good plans more easily than I stick with them. Yet routine brings accomplishment and relief to me and the family. So I focus on those benefits and hang in there. I’m always glad.

There are two major areas where I need the help of routine:

  1. in the “ordinary” things of everyday life (brush teeth, cook dinner)
  2. in fulfilling other particular callings (volunteer work, writing).

Both require regular, deliberate attention applied routinely.

These help me:

  • A morning routine is especially important. It sets the tone for the day. I’m up earlier than my husband which affects what I do, but can’t use as an excuse. First, stretches (makes going downstairs easier), devotions, write 30 minutes, breakfast.

    The key is to get up early enough to meet with the Lord (if that’s your time) and do what’s necessary to get yourself grounded and ready to face the day before everybody else is up or the boss calls. Follow the same pattern every day.

  • Evening routine can set us up for better rest. I’ll prepare for bed earlier so I have more reading time in bed. (Sleep comes more readily.)
  • In between are the many tasks of the day. Some like to schedule specifically. I like to designate blocks of time. (2-4 pm varied household projects or start dinner at 5.)
  • Factor in margin. Don’t schedule tightly; leave wiggle room.
  • Build weekly needs into your routine. (Bed changes, grocery shopping)
  • Seek the Lord about claiming time. Don’t count on opportunity. Opportunity for personal devotions or family dinner may never show up. Set self aside, determine what’s best, and lay claim to that time.

We avoid alligator-infested waters by tending to things early – which routine helps us do. Fewer ’gators come snapping at our boat. The term paper, the meal for friends, the half marathon all get done in the course of routine.

Routine helps us be steady and consistent in spite of interruptions and missteps. Over time things become automatic. We can stop whacking at alligators and move purposefully and more peacefully through our days.

What morning routine will you set up? What items in the day will you make routine?

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2 Comments

« Routine Practice – Preparing to Get Out the Door
Routine Maintenance – Correction and Caution Help Routine Work »

Comments

  1. Kathy says

    August 20, 2018 at 9:08 am

    practical Godly advice!

    Reply
    • Beth Sterne says

      August 22, 2018 at 11:08 am

      Kathy, thanks! I’m hoping to benefit even more this year from routines.

      Reply

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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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"Biblical truth ... with a lot of fun and laughter."
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“I never saw myself as a procrastinator until her talk – I just thought of myself as productively busy! She helped me to gain new focus on what my priorities really are.”

Christine B.

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2018-08-16T14:41:59-04:00

Christine B.

“I never saw myself as a procrastinator until her talk – I just thought of myself as productively busy! She helped me to gain new focus on what my priorities really are.”
https://putoffprocrastination.com/testimonials/christine-b/
"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."

Julia F.

Beth Sterne - Put Off Procrastination
2018-08-16T14:42:31-04:00

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.

Beth Sterne - Put Off Procrastination
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.

Beth Sterne - Put Off Procrastination
2018-08-16T14:43:28-04:00

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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