President Kimball once said, “One of the most serious human defects in all ages is procrastination” (The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, ed. Edward L. Kimball [1982], 48). Procrastination robs us of effective and meaningful time as well as of peace of mind and confidence. Sometimes we spend all our energy putting off tasks—large or small—that we grow to loathe them and sink into a spiral of guilt and cowardice. Elder Marvin J. Ashton has called procrastination “unproductive delay” and encouraged us to instead do things “straightway . . . immediately, without delay or hesitation” (Marvin J. Ashton, “Straightway,” Ensign, May 1983, 30).
I am a procrastinator in the worst way. It could be linked to my perfectionism. Well I want it perfect right now thinking. I want the house to stay clean when I clean it, the cupboard to stay organized, the laundry done.... I become consumed in perfection that I procrastinate getting things done or I find it hard to motivate myself to get up and get moving.
I think the task I loathe the most is to clean up the same mess for the 100th time. I do not mind cleaning house. I actually enjoy it. I enjoy organizing and planning and creating my home. I have many plans to make my house a home but.... It all takes time and I want it my way right now.
I do feel that my habit of procrastination robs me of my time, my inner peace, and my confidence.
My time because as a procrastinator I tend to fill up my time with hundreds of little unimportant things while putting of what matters most.
My inner peace because my conscience is consistently reminding me what I shoulda, woulda, coulda been doing while procrastinating.
Procrastination robs me of my confidence by stealing my time, talents and abilities so I end up doing a rush job to get the job done in time all the while knowing if I just would have done it bit by bit I would have a masterpiece and not a thrown together something.
I am an artist at heart. I need to create things. I have procrastinated this part of me for many years. Creating things makes me happy. It brings me peace and confidence. I feel that my Heavenly Father has given me this yearning to create to help beautify my portion of the world and to bless my family.
We as women are partners of creation with our Father. We have the ability to create life with him. The desire to create beauty is a driving power that causes us to move forward to finding our bit of Heaven on Earth. To surround ourselves with things that remind us of our Heavenly home.
Music is what the Spirit sounds like, Art what the Spirit looks like, Love is what the spirit feels like.
How can we not look at Nature and see Gods hand everywhere and KNOW we are loved. Everything in Nature reminds me that I am a Daughter of God and he love me and he has a plan for me. A plan of Happiness he sends me blessings each day to remind me to just keep on, to move forward to come home to him.
Is it any wonder I want to fill my life with beautiful, perfect things? Things of beauty that are a constant reminder of why I am here, where I am going, and where I have been.
So let me take today and do the little things that matter most, to create beauty in my corner of the world, to lift my children higher, and reach inward and upward toward our Heavenly home.
Let me let go of my perfect procrastination and embrace with confidence joy and an inner peace of mind.
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