I’ll Do It Tomorrow
“I’ll do it tomorrow”, haven’t we all said this?. “I can’t do it today. I’ll do it tomorrow because it will suit me better.” Sometimes, the ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’ response is acceptable. It’s fair and ensures you don’t rush through things. But often, we hide under ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’ as an excuse not to do what we are supposed to do today. We don’t have an acceptable reason as to why we are not able to do it today. We are lazy and would grab at any reason we can find not to attend to certain things today. Well, what does scripture have to say?
Ecclesiastes 11:4
Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap
The wind affects your ability to plant. Who goes out planting during a storm? But if all you do is watch the wind and clouds and carefully monitor their movement, you will never plant. You would be waiting for the wind to travel at the perfect speed, and that, my friend, is unlikely to happen. The truth is that if we keep waiting for perfect circumstances when we need to get going, we will not achieve anything. Sometimes we convince ourselves that we are actively doing something and on our way to achieving our goals because we are analysing the circumstances and waiting to strike when it’s hot. Again, there is a time and place for this. But more often than not, when we procrastinate, we are simply wasting time.
The problem with procrastination is that it gives a false sense of security that we have the time to achieve a particular goal. It also removes our guilt about not doing what we are meant to do today. Why should you feel guilty if you will attend to it tomorrow? According to Proverbs 14:23, All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. We don’t get anything done by stating that we will do them tomorrow. It’s mere talk. When tomorrow comes, you might procrastinate again; before you know it, a year has gone by without any progress. Talking about doing it won’t get it done. Action is required.
I’ll be sincere and bring this back to my personal life. Many, many times did I say many? I have often started a new month, week, or day dedicated to being healthier and exercising more. And then temptation stares me right in the face. My husband makes fantastic homemade burgers and asks me if I want some. How can I say no? He won’t make them tomorrow, so I won’t have to overcome that temptation the next day, right? And there I tell myself, “I’ll start my healthier eating tomorrow’. And then, the next day, I go to work, and the team has chocolate cake as a treat for reaching a milestone. By now, you should know what I tell myself! “I’ll start healthier eating tomorrow”. And so the story goes, 365 days a year. At the end of the year, it is easy to see why I haven’t made any progress in my eating habits.
This is simple procrastination and laziness. I classify this as laziness because I would rather not use some inner strength and self-control to resist unhealthy food. Procrastination and laziness walk hand in hand. The book of Proverbs has so many verses on this.
Proverbs 20:4 Sluggards do not plow in season; so at harvest time they look but find nothing.
There is a season to plow. Generally, under the ‘I’ll do it tomorrow’ excuse, the season is TODAY. Everyone wants to do a good job and be successful, regardless of how you define success. But success is far away when laziness and procrastination are the order of the day in your life. The worst thing about procrastination is that you don’t see its impact until it is time to reap the good rewards for actions or steps you should have taken. It is then it dawns on you how much you have missed out.
This is why Proverbs 10:4 states; A slack hand causes poverty, but the hand of the diligent makes rich. Poverty is the outcome of laziness, not just in monetary terms but in your goals and achievements. You miss out on so much because you wanted the sleep a little; you hit the snooze button on that goal, sacrificing a long-term value for momentary pleasure. Now, you have undesirable outcomes. Being diligent is the only path towards achieving your goals.
A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest, and poverty will come upon you like a robber, and want like an armed man. Proverbs 6:10-11
So what attitude should we embrace? Let’s follow Ecclesiastes 9:10a. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might.
Work hard. As a Christian, if people remember you as lazy, please work on that. We should be diligent, consistent and have a good testimony. Do it today. Don’t push the task out to tomorrow. Do it today and tomorrow.
