You know how everybody talks about priorities and resolutions at the beginning of the year? Well, I kind of put it off.

If procrastination were a separate nation, it might be the largest nation on earth, but we’d never know because no one would get around to counting the people. Let me share a few quotes I looked up when I should have been doing something else (these are from stopprocrastinatinginfo.com):

Mark Twain said, “Never put off until tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow.”

Joe Ryan said: “There’s nothing to match curling up with a good book when there’s a repair job to be done around the house.”

Author Unknown also had several comments on procrastination:

“You know you are getting old when it takes too much effort to procrastinate.” “I do my work at the same time each day-the last minute.” “Only Robinson Crusoe had everything done by Friday.”

Some might be surprised that I am admitting to having a problem with procrastination. You see, my work for the last 30 years has been nothing but deadlines, and I’ve done my best and pushed myself, and I’ve met more than 99 percent of those deadlines.

But the problem is, I have found YOU CAN’T DO EVERYTHING! So, I know I have put off and neglected many important things, even while meeting small deadlines. So what I’m trying to learn is how to know when to procrastinate, and when not to. More accurately:

What things can we procrastinate about, and what should we never put off?

I’ve found that in time management, it’s all about priorities.

1. Our first priority is to set priorities.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus Christ laid out the basics of the Christian way of life. In Matthew 6 He gave a number of examples to show where our priorities should be. He also lets us know what is worth worrying about, and I know that many of us procrastinators also have a problem with worry. We worry so much about how to do something that we don’t do it, and then we worry about the consequences of our procrastination! But Jesus Christ gives us the antidote to worry and the key to the most effective use of our time.

Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

So the things of God must have first priority in our lives! Things like prayer and Bible study and loving and caring for our families, serving our brethren and the widows, writing cards to the sick and the shut-ins, helping with Church activities, and… Whoa! Even these things have to be prioritized! We can become overwhelmed with and become weary with doing good!

So we also have to remember other good things that are part of God’s way of life, like getting enough sleep, eating a healthy diet, getting exercise, keeping up with the most important international news, continuing our education, being a good employee, keeping our home in good condition and so on.

So, after all these priorities, where does that leave hobbies and entertainment? When they are uplifting and positive and we can fit them in, these diversions are great! God wants us to enjoy life and be balanced. But you’ll probably find that after putting all the priorities in first, there is less time for any questionable entertainment, and there definitely is no time for time wasters and degrading entertainment.

So, as we make a prioritized list of priorities, it can help us with the next point of decision making. When someone comes to you with an invitation or an opportunity comes up to get involved in something, what do you do? We have to consider where it fits in our priority list. We have to add up the hours in our day. We have to count the cost and make a decision.

2. Don’t overcommit.

In Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 Solomon is making a point about a vow to God. That is a very important commitment that we should uphold to the fullest. But in the New Testament we are told to swear not at all, but that our “yes” should have the same truthful force as if we had vowed. So let’s consider how to apply Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 in our promises and commitments:

“When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed-better not to vow than to vow and not pay.”

Better to say no than to say yes but not follow through. After all these years, I hope I’m learning to a little bit when to say no, when not to commit to something. I would love to pick up every visitor who comes to the airport. I would love to help with every move. I would love to help with every activity. But sometimes, when other priorities like family are being neglected, you have to say no.

But enough about “no.” Christ also said, let your “yes” be “yes.” And my third point is:

3. Do the things you prioritize and promise to do.

Doing is the antidote to analysis paralysis and procrastination. In one of His parables, Jesus contrasts two servants. One servant figured his master was delayed, so there was no urgency in doing his job. In fact, he just decided to party and act as if he had all the time in the world.

But the other servant is the one we want to be like. Luke 12:42-43 says: “And the Lord said, ‘Who then is that faithful and wise steward, who his master will make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of food in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes.”

Let me end with a few more inspirational quotes:

Gerald Vaughan said, “Procrastination is something best put off until tomorrow.” George Claude Lorimer said, “Putting off an easy thing makes it hard. Putting off a hard thing makes it impossible.” And Author Unknown, in all his wisdom, said, “The best way to get something done is to begin.”

So let’s work this week on focusing on priorities and fighting procrastination, and becoming more like our Father in heaven.

As Anne Frank said, “How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world”!

For a deeper look at procrastination and priorities, see Are You Putting Off Your Salvation?

It’s hard to believe, but we’re half way through the year – how are your New Year’s resolutions coming along? Was one of them to lose weight? It may not quite be what you had in mind, but if you’re trying to shed a few pounds, one quick and easy way to do that is to clean out the purse, wallet, briefcase and/or bag you’ve been lugging around. Besides lightening your load, it will make the things you carry with you every day more organized and easy to find.

Empty it out. Dump the contents of your purse, wallet, bag or briefcase into a shoebox or other container so nothing gets lost.

Toss the trash. You may discover you’ve been carrying around a portable trashcan. Toss the obvious items: used or tattered tissues, old or empty makeup containers, mysterious scraps of paper, gum or mints that are coated with lint, ATM receipts that are so old you can no longer read them, etc.

Sort the rest. Divide items between those you need to carry all the time (keys, sunglasses, cell phone, pen, notepad, etc.) and those that are questionable – although any one item may not take up much space or add much weight, collectively these items can have a big impact:

Makeup: Maybe you can just carry your lipstick, and keep the rest of your touch-up items at work so you don’t have to schlep them back and forth from home each day.

Loose change: Unless you’re saving it for a serendipitous encounter with a slot machine, put that loose change at the bottom of your purse or bag into your wallet or pants pocket where you can use it, or into a jar at home if you want to save it.

Checkbook: If you only write checks occasionally, maybe you can carry just a check or two in your wallet. Use carbon checks to serve as a reminder to note the check in your check register.

Paperwork: Take the appropriate action to stop carrying these items around:

Bills: If you carry unpaid bills more than a day or two, maybe you should block out 15 minutes or so on your calendar and just get them paid. Once you pay them, file or toss them as you see fit – don’t continue to carry them around.

Coupons: Clean out expired coupons, and consider whether you need to carry the others with you – maybe you can keep store coupons in your car’s glove compartment and grocery coupons at home with your shopping list. If you don’t have a shopping list, we need to talk.

Receipts: Clean out receipts once a week at a minimum. Unless you’re about to return something and need the receipt, you don’t need to have them with you. Establish a place where you can collect them and find them when you need them.

Phone numbers: Transfer the phone numbers you’ve jotted onto scraps of paper into your address book, whether it’s paper or electronic. If you don’t have an address book, now is the time to start one.

Lottery tickets: There are three possibilities: the drawing hasn’t been held yet, your ticket is a winner, or it’s not. Act appropriately and move those tickets along on their journey.

Organize the contents. Rather than just tossing everything back in your purse or bag, try to compartmentalize or containerize it. This will make it easier to find things, and also make it easier to move items from one purse to another. Take advantage of the zippered pockets or dividers your purse or bag may have to stash smaller items. Otherwise, use zippered pouches or even plastic bags for those smaller items.

Clean it out regularly. Empty out loose change, receipts and random bits of paper every day, if possible, or once a week at a minimum.