What’s Weighing You Down?

Tomorrow

Last time I switched out summer outfits for winter layers, I discovered a problem!

My winter jeans were causing a bad case of muffin topping! I mean the jumbo muffin top variety.

Mmm, I thought, if I just back up on the ice cream binging, I’ll be able to breathe, if not sit, in these jeans in no time.

But wait. Culver’s flavor of the day is my favorite—Dark Chocolate Decadence. I can’t start today. I’ll start my better-eating regime tomorrow.

The next day, I remembered we had company coming for dinner.

It would be rude to serve them rabbit food and no dessert. I’ll start tomorrow.

The day after, I was invited to a party and there would be all kinds of delicacies I’d want to sample.

That’s okay. Weekends are no time to start a diet. I’ll start tomorrow.

The day after that was Sunday, and football games demand pizza, nachos, popcorn with real butter, and fully leaded Pepsi.

That’s okay . . . tomorrow.

By Monday, I was so discouraged, I ate the batch of cookies I baked for the new neighbors.

Tomorrow never materialized.

Am I the only one?

When you say, “I’ll start tomorrow,” you may never start anything.

I know this because the same thing happens with my book writing and my house cleaning and my thank-you note writing and my Bible study reading and my . . .

You get the idea.

I can’t be the only one who says, “Tomorrow, I’ll . . .

• start my diet
• save some money
• exercise
• call my mom
• get out of debt
• do the laundry
• clean out the junk drawers
• read my Bible
• establish my prayer time
• finish one project
• talk to my boss about a raise . . .”

There are a million reasons and distractions to keep you from tackling your to-do, must-do, or should-do project today.

Don’t wait till tomorrow. Get after whatever is weighing you down or keeping you from living to the fullest!

How?

1) Shrink the task.

You can simplify a daunting task by breaking it up into smaller, more manageable pieces. The progress you make along the way energizes you to keep going.

2) Do the yuckiest (part of the) job first.

When I do my once-a-month cooking, I always start with the most tedious recipe.

I learned the hard way that if I wait till the end of the day to face off with a labor-intensive dish, it doesn’t get done.

3) Offer yourself a bribe or reward for completion.

Maybe you get to shop with the proceeds from the rummage sale you have after you clean out your closets/basement/garage/attic?

What have you been procrastinating that you’re ready to tackle?

Leave me a comment–and tag someone who would be good accountability.

Don’t wait for tomorrow! Today is your day!

Verse

“Don’t put it off; do it now! Don’t rest until you do.” —Proverbs 6:4 NLT