Procrastination Junkie

I have a love/hate relationship with procrastination. I hate it, but it loves me. Well, maybe I like it a little, sometimes, in the right circumstances. But in general, left uncapped, it's the reason New Year Resolutions have been outlawed in my home.

There's a great TED on procrastination and you should definitely give it a watch, connect some dots, and enter the wilds appropriately. But even this TED, as with most TEDs, despite its brilliance, only instigates the soul-searching journey into the subject matter. It doesn't solve it.

That said, let me toss out a few things to ponder as you wrestle the panic monster alongside the lying, cheating professional thief monkey.

1. Are you procrastinating in all areas of life: work, marriage, creative pursuits, parenting, education, health, faith, etc.? Or just one in particular?

2. Have you experienced measurable failure or loss due to procrastination? If so, how has it impacted your planning since? If not, what do you want to shift in order to avoid the inevitable?

3. What percentage of headspace is left in the fog due to the endless pushing off of life? Are you even aware anymore that your thinking is cloudy?!

4. What simple step can you do today, right now, to put one project, one goal, into a planned and actionable rhythm until it's completed?

Here's a tip: Choose one area of life to make sense of and schedule bite-size chunks of action. Choose something that's important and urgent enough to chase after, but not so important that a new system of preparation derails you. Take a baby step. It's okay. You can do it!

Observations from a Game Night

1. If you're going to play, expect the unexpected. My 10-year-old daughter wins more often than would be allowed in a socialist paradise.

2. Losing well never goes out of style. Don't rob yourself or others of the joy of the adventure by losing control. Practice losing well.

3. Take the lead with humility. Going on to win is totally cool. When we play well through the highs and lows, and then end well, we win well. Fist bump, then clean up like a servant-leader.

Oh yeah, the same holds true after a show, a reading, a proposal, a meeting, etc.

It Takes Intentionality. But Beware...

Being intentional with our time, talent, and treasure takes...well, it takes intentionality.

On the other hand, when we're not intentionally making sense of our time, talent, and treasure...well, we're intentionally not being intentional.

A couple points of caution for both parties:

1. In your practice of intentional living don't strangle the very things and people you're focused on being intentional with.

2. In your practice of unintentionality: Beware of celebrating the accidents then expecting them all the more. Beware a victim mindset, it's inevitable. Beware bitterness when lack of intention meets a world on purpose. Beware of abusing the compassion of others. Oh, and beware of the inevitable excuses you'll find coming out of your mouth. Be aware of the soul-sucking that comes with this territory.