Are You a Procrastinator?

I attended a seminar at the C.H.A.P. Homeschool Convention that was given by Rick Grubbs and was about procrastination.  It was a fun seminar and our youngest son was with me, and he made me laugh, because his impression of Rick Grubbs was, "he seems really happy, Mommy,"  because Mr. Grubbs was very animated in his speaking.  He had a lot of energy and was fun to listen to and definitely held our attention.

He stated that Acts 24:24-25 teaches about Overcoming Procrastination.

Rick Grubbs defined procrastination as putting off until later what God wants me to do right now.

He listed the Three Stages of Procrastination as:

Diversion   --  James 1:14
Rationalization (ignoring obvious consequences in order to justify my behavior)  -- Genesis 3:6
Excuses   --  Proverbs 22:13

He gave Types of Procrastination:

Category                                            Slothful                                           Fearful
Focus                                            "Overwhelming"                               "Unpleasant"

Rationalization                               1.  Matt.   25:1-13                           1.  Exodus 4:10
Techniques                                     Short Term Focus                              Perfectionism

                                                     2.  Proverbs 22:13                           2.  Luke 10:41
                                                     Imaginary Obstacles                       Activity Without Accomplishment

Weapons                                      1.  Luke 14:21                                  1.  John 12:24
                                                        Deadlines                            Seeing Failure as Necessary for Success

                                                     2.  Job 31:1                                      2.  Luke 5:4
                                                       Commitment                                   Create Momentum

                                                     3.  I Peter 5:5
                                                       Accountability


Mr. Grubbs said, "The one question to ask when tempted to procrastinate (I Kings 18:21):
"Will I obey God right now, Yes or No?"

There is no third option of "yes, but".    "Delayed obedience is actually disobedience."


A few other things from his seminar are:

"Procrastination is the assassination of your motivation."

"Work will expand to fill the time we allow for it."
"When the commitment is there, the freedom will follow."

"It is not the number of times you fail that matters.  It is the number of times you succeed.  And the number of times you succeed depends on how many times you try."

"It is always easier to edit than it is to create."

This was a follow-up seminar to one he had done earlier in the day that I did not attend.  But, Mr. Grubbs taught that we should look to God in how to spend our time, as we should look to God in all things, and he handed out bright, little stickers that say, "What does God want me to do Right Now?"

You can find out more about Mr. Grubbs and his teachings at:  http://lifechangingseminars.com/.  He also has a newsletter you can sign up to receive.

I wouldn't say that I am a strong procrastinator.  I usually like to do what I need to do as soon as possible, but I have been known to procrastinate on some things, which is why I attended this seminar.  I found it very interesting and helpful.  It always makes me wonder, when I hear some of these teachings, "why couldn't I figure this out on my own?  I know that God is our source and provider for all things, but I guess we just need someone else to point this out to us sometimes."