Prayer to stop procrastination:

I come before you, Lord, thanking you for your loving-kindness. I thank you for your patience, Father. Thank you for your grace and your mercy that renews each day. 

Heavenly Father, I thank you for the mother visiting this blog today.

Thank you for her desire to change and live a more meaningful life. I pray that she will uncover a life that is full of purpose. May she be encouraged to discover the plans that you have for her life, Lord. 

Lord, I come before you today asking you for your help. As with many things, we want to do good, Lord. We want to get things done. We want to discover our purpose in this life that will reveal our destiny, but it seems as if there is a struggle to move forward.

So, father, right now, in the name of your precious son, Jesus, I ask you for strength for this reader. May she realize that her struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. Forces that were assigned to prohibit her from making it out of this season. To make her feel as if she is alone.

So,Lord, today, I pray that she realizes that she has I Am That I Am on her side. May she realize that she can let go of her worries and cast them all on you, Father.

Lord, I pray that she will see even in her struggle with procrastination,that you are there to guide her through this storm. Lord, I pray that she will no longer be distracted by things that add no value to her life.May she no longer be distracted by the devil’s distractions and worldly temptations, but may she begin to seek You in all things.

May she obtain a spirit of determination. Lord, I pray that she will be more determined than ever to not only fulfill the promises that she made to herself but to see the ones that you have for her, Father.

May she desire the things that will help her to live a purpose-filled life. Lord, touch her mind and her heart. Renew her strength, Lord. May her mind be transformed. Lord, I pray she receives the changes that need to take place in their life. And above all, may she know that you have not forgotten her.

Thank you, Lord, for all that you are doing and will continue to do in her life.

In Your Prescious Son, Jesus’ name, Amen.

If you’re reading this, you’ve decided that you want to begin the journey to live a better life procrastination-free.

And it’s about time, right?

But how do you do that?

To break a negative cycle, you first have to acknowledge it, learn to understand it, develop a plan to tackle it, and execute it effectively. If not, it will always find a way to interrupt and stop the plans you have and that God has for your life.

We don’t need that happening anymore.

So What Exactly Is Procrastination?

Procrastination is the act of intentionally delaying or postponing something that should be done.

In other words, you know that you have something to do, but you choose to put it off for whatever the reason may be.

I mean, life happens, but it doesn’t have to be the excuse we choose to live by all the time.

You can overcome whatever is holding you back from putting one foot forward to becoming the woman you desire to see in the future.

To become the woman God planned for you to be.

Procrastion is no exception.

Are You A Habitual Procrastinator?

The seven steps listed below will help you to dodge those worn-out excuses that we tend to tell ourselves.

You know the ones:

“I don’t have time.”

“I’ll do it tomorrow.” 

“I’ll do it next week/ (insert day)”

“Give me until next month.” 

“That’s my new year’s resolution.”

 Or what about this one? “I’ll get it done when I get it done.”

If these statements pertain to you, you may need a sprinkle of help. You can become a procrastinator annihilator. Believe in your ability to succeed and do it.

To break a negative cycle, you first have to acknowledge it, learn to understand it, make a plan to tackle it and execute it effectively.

The Kinky Stages Of Motherhood

If this also sounds like you, but you’ve taken the necessary steps to complete your task/goal, then you are not a procrastinator.

You are a doer.

You may require some guidance to keep you on the right track and keep procrastination at bay. Preferably far away as possible.

Apply these seven steps below to your routine. And begin your journey becoming the ultimate procrastinator annihilator.

Top 8 Ways To Stop Procrastinating

1. Pray

Before you start any journey, you should take God with you. Place your journey, your worries, your doubts, the uncertainty, even your wins, in the hands of your Heavenly Father.

We may have a plan, but God has the blueprint. Rely on Him to steer you in the right direction.

5 Trust in and rely confidently on the Lord with all your heart and do not rely on your own insight or understanding.
6 In all your ways, know and acknowledge and recognize Him, and He will make your paths straight and smooth [removing obstacles that block your way]. (Proverbs 3:5-6 [AMP])

Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God. (Philippians 4:6 [AMP])

What God can do for you is limited by what you think He can only do for you.

Your Heavenly Father wants to take care of you. He wants to help you even with your procrastination, but if you think it’s too small or too great of a problem for God to handle, than you’re right.

Have faith in God

God moves according to our faith. He requires you to have the minimalist amount of faith possible to allow Him to work in your life. The Mustard Seed faith. So if you don’t have the tiniest bit of faith that God can work things out for you without doubting that He can do it, you’re basically saying that you don’t need God to do it for you because you can do it on your own.

How is that working out for you?

God wants to be involved in all aspects of your life, not just the ones where you desperately need His help because you realize there is no other help available to you.

He wants you to need Him even in the small things. And because He’s so gracious and loving, He wants you to realize that for yourself as well. So even when you’re doing things your way, without Him, the moment you call on Him, He’ll be there with you. He wants you to feel His presence so that you know He’s near. He may not answer you all the time, but He will direct you towards where you should go.

He wants you to do things with Him because with God, all things are possible to those who believe.

So where you are right now is no surprise to God. He knew that because of your choices, you would be here. He also knows what you have to do to get you out of this toxic cycle and back on track.

2. Take It One Day At A Time

Believe in your ability to be great. Believe that God has a plan for you and is prompting you to do better so that you can live better.

See where you want to go, where you want to be, and believe that you can and will achieve it. You will get there if you’re willing to put in the work.

Subsequently, if you fall into the trap and fail to get your goal completed, shake it off. Give yourself grace. Do not allow it to consume you and deter you from your mission. It will only continue to be a part of you, and that is not the goal here.

So put a sticky note next to the goal/task you didn’t complete and go on to the next goal.

Do what you can today and do what you couldn’t complete tomorrow.

Before tomorrow comes, think about what happened that prevented you from getting your goals/tasks done. Jot it down until you’re able to see it plain as day and formulate a game plan. The goal here is to block it from happening again. Come refreshed, geared up, and ready to go. Create a strategy and stick to your plans.

Do not keep putting it off.

Kick that procrastination bug to the curb.

You got this, mama!

3. Write Down Your Goals and Put A Deadline On It

It’s easy to say you’re going to do something and end up not doing it at all.

This is because you have nothing prompting you to do it.

The Bible says that you should stay awake and pray so that you won’t enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41 {CSB}).

As long as you’re living, you should be in constant communication with God.

Your spirit is connected to God,0 and it may be trying to get through to you. It’s likened to that of your subconscious mind. One of the things that it does is to remind you of your goals, but you know it all too well. You’ve learned to habitually shut it out before the thought can marinate in your mind and become a part of you. Your focus then gets shifted to something else.

In doing this, you will continue to push back your deadlines and be in this season much longer than necessary.
If you continue to put off what you said you would do, your predicament will not change.

You’re just delaying the process because you know what you have to do. You’re just not doing it.

You will only get frustrated with yourself while causing a never-ending cycle in the opposite direction to ensue. This cycle does not have to be your life.

So try something new.

Hold yourself accountable. Train your mind to do the things you want and need to do for yourself.

Write down your goals on a sticky note, a note pad or make a list on your cell phone. Create an alarm for it and pin it on your home page.

Date it, and put it in a place where you frequent, like the refrigerator, your bedroom or bathroom mirror, on your front door, etc. Somewhere where it can stare you in the face.

Get creative and be a woman of action.

Do you know how you get that uncomfortable feeling when you know that someone is staring at you?

Make yourself uncomfortable.

With your goals staring you in the face at every turn, there should be no reason as to why you are unable to complete at least half, if not all, of your plans for the day.

4. Set Realistic Goals and Expectations

You made your list, but is it doable? Is it realistic for you to achieve?

If you know you’re not the type of individual to complete big tasks or tackle multiple things at one time, do not bite off more than you can chew. It will take you much longer to finish what you started. In the end, your uncompleted goals will become a wish list of unfulfilled dreams.

Do not set yourself up to fail.

Doing more than what you’re comfortable with will be daunting and seem unachievable. 

You will only become overwhelmed and revert to your old habits because those ways are familiar to you.

If your goals have you feeling as if you’ve bitten off more than you could chew, break them down into smaller bite-sized steps. It is alright to execute them one by one if that works for you.

Start with 1-2 tasks. Once completed, challenge yourself to do more. If not, then stop and pat yourself on the back. You did it.

As long as you know where you’re going, the following steps on your list should motivate you to keep going.

5. Handle Your Goals Like The Bill Collector and Kick Procrastination to the Curb

When it’s that time of the month, you know your bill is due. The reminders, whether via mail, email, or phone, flood your life relentlessly without any plans of ceasing.

At least until that payment is paid, if not in full, to satisfy them for the time being.

So why should your plans be any different?

Be relentless in completing your goals. Try your best, and do not stop until you get them done.

As soon as you’ve written down your goals, set multiple timers on your phone to go off, reminding you to get it done.

Try not to do it too much to where it becomes irritating because it will cause you to dismiss and ignore them altogether.

Remember: The goal is to set realistic goals and get them done.

6. Get an Accountability Partner and Fight Procrastination Together

Again, you know yourself.

If setting those timers alone will not work for you and handling your goals on your own is too much for you, it may be time for you to get an accountability partner.

So what is an accountability partner?

An accountability partner is someone willing and able to help you keep the commitment(s) you made to yourself.

They will help you determine a realistic approach to tackling each goal you’ve set for yourself.

Your accountability partner should be someone not easily swayed by your lack of motivation. Instead, they will know how to help keep you on track.

Find a friend or someone you feel you can trust to become your accountability partner.

Someone you feel comfortable sharing your dreams with and can be transparent with them.

Again, knowing what you want and what you’re capable of doing will be very important when deciding on an accountability partner.

Get Someone Who Gets You. Procrastination Will Not Win.

Here’s some perspective:

Have you seen Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure? If you’re like me, you may have seen it a handful of times. Kid shows abound in our household.

In the movie, Tinker Bell had the role of creating a scepter for the mystical moonstone festival. She asked her friend Terrance (a dust-keeper sparrow man) to be her assistant.

Once she asked for his help, Terrance decided that he would help Tinkerbell to stick to her goal to make the scepter.

Now Terrance took his job very seriously. He knew a lot about dust keeping. He also had a lot of advice and opinions to share with Tinker Bell.

Terrance would wake her up every day at the same time, regardless of when she went to bed the previous day. Then he would clean her workspace every time he saw something that he thought would get in Tinker Bell’s way and prevent her from working effectively to complete her goal. He was present and available when Tink needed him and didn’t need his help.

As you can imagine, she became very annoyed with him because he was unintentionally getting in her way most of the time.

She never told him how she was feeling. I guess she didn’t want to hurt his feelings.

Long story short, things went south quickly, resulting in Tinkerbell postponing her plans. As a result, she had to go on a journey. She had to get back on track with her goal and learn to accept help the way she needed it.

Yeah, I wasn’t going to spoil the movie for you if you didn’t see it.

In any event, be honest with yourself.

Know Your Limits

Know what help you need and make it known. Adjust it accordingly.

Your accountability partner is not a mind reader and will do what they think is best to help you achieve your goals.

There is no use creating bad blood between someone whose intentions are solely to help you reach your goals.

So if your accountability partner is a bit overbearing, take a step back, breathe and let them know what you need help with.

At the end of it all, the goal is to help you complete your plans. So if you need two accountability partners, go for it!

You got this, Mama!

7. Update Your Scenery and Re-evaluate Your Goals

If your current setting is taxing on your mental state and overall attitude, or maybe the task at hand is stressing you out, give yourself grace and pause.

Once you realize that your goals no longer suit the life you want, it’s OK to change them or take a break from them.

Re-evaluate your goals and change your scenery for a bit.

Maybe go to another room, take a break and look outside your window. Go for a walk to clear your mind, breathe in that fresh air, and intake some sunny vitamin D.

See if someone can watch the children for you so that you can have time to just…be in your own company.

Sometimes, you have to reflect and reimagine the life that you want. Think about where God wants you to be. If you don’t know, ask Him.

Remind yourself why you want it. This will help you to regain focus to stop the cycle of procrastination.

8. Celebrate Your Success

Whether you’ve completed all or one of your tasks/goals on your list…you finished something instead of nothing.

Celebrate your success.

You’ve earned it.

No success is too small if it’s a win in the right direction.

Procrastination will leave you in a world of shoulda, woulda, coulda.

It’s the ultimate time-waster, and quite frankly, you could be doing so much better without it.

So start your journey and allow yourself to live your best life today.

You owe it to yourself to at least try.

Cheers to becoming the best version of yourself and watching your life flourish.

You have everything you need within to live a fulfilled life. With God’s help and these seven steps, you will be unstoppable. Start living your life procrastination-free today. It’s time.

Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start getting excited about what could go right.

Anonymous

Slow down, mama! Before you go: What steps have you tried or what steps above do you think will help you on your journey to living a better life? 

I would love to hear your thoughts below and learn other methods that you have used to stop procrastinating.