How many times have you said the word later? We use it often, or at least I do. We even tell your children later, when they ask us questions. We say later to projects, to our spouse, and to things we must do. Later often becomes our response to anything we want to put off. But do we ever actually follow through on what we put off to later? Or does procrastination become the norm?

I’m not sure why this has come up in my life, but it seems I’ve been putting things off for another time, thinking I’ll get to them later, but I never do. I have a closet full of things that need to be gone through, but I’ll get to it later. The same is true for my garage and my shed. Each must be cleaned and reorganized. I know I need to get to it, but I keep putting it off with the thought that I’ll get to it later, and later never comes. It’s not just with things around the house. Later creeps into our daily routine and life in general. Even health-related issues can and do get delegated to the latter category. So what do we do? Is there a remedy or solution?

I’ve often said that you can’t fix something you don’t admit is a problem, so that’s the first step. The second is just as simple: we need to develop a plan. Sometimes that’s as simple as making a list. Then take one item from that list and work on it alone. Why? Because we tend to get distracted and leave a project to take care of something else that caught our eye. How do I know? It happens to me all the time. The other day I was rearranging things in the garage, putting the charger on my e-bike. You probably know what happened next. Yup, as soon as it was charged, I was off for a bicycle ride. 

I get it. Some people, when they say they’ll get to it later, do, while others, like me, have good intentions but get distracted and, like a butterfly, flit from one task to another. To address this, I often use the Serenity Prayer and talk to God. Think about it.