“My motto has always been ‘Procrastinators unite . . . tomorrow!’ But today I’m a rehabilitated procrastinator. With God’s help, instead of putting things off, I’m putting good habits in place that bring peace and calm to my marriage, my family, and my job.”

I smiled. Julie and I are friends, and I knew she had worked hard to overcome procrastination. She discovered that procrastination is a learned behavior, and in her case it stemmed from feelings of being overwhelmed with life. With so much to do, she was frozen to inaction. She just continued to put things off.

“There were times that I mailed thank-you notes six months late, I had overdue library books accompanied by huge fines, and some days we had no food or clean laundry in the house. I knew my put-it-off habit was hurting my family and even my walk with the Lord. With His help, I’m prioritizing my activities every day, delegating some things, letting some things go, and designating idle time during the evening to get important things done.”

Our God is an orderly God. He’s never late, and He doesn’t forget because He’s overwhelmed. And since our goal is to become more Christlike, with His help we can begin replacing our bad habits with good ones.

If you have a habit that increases your stress, is dangerous to your health, or hurts your relationships, talk to the Lord about it. He has provided the Holy Spirit to give you power to overcome bad habits and make better choices.