More Worry Than They're Worth

Today was a good day. I got a lot of tasks completed, some of which I had been procrastinating for quite some time. Funnily enough,none of those tasks were as time-consuming as I had thought they'd be, and I probably spent less time completing those tasks than I had spent telling myself that I really ought to get around to doing those things eventually.

It's funny how we sometimes think things will be worse than they actually end up being. Maybe it's pessimism. Maybe it's pragmatism. Maybe it's fear of unknown (and potentially unfavorable) variables. Whatever the reason, we sometimes worry about things more than we need to.

Actually, come to think of it, we don't really need to worry about anything at all. Dread is not productive. It makes sense to plan for upcoming tasks, including anticipating possible complications, but we don't really need to worry about them. And, naturally, procrastination is unproductive, too.

Instead of worrying about and procrastinating tasks we know we need to do, we should instead take steps to complete the tasks. There may be some planning and preparation required, but we shouldn't let dread delay us. We should get information, get ready, and get it done.

Of course, I'm not the best person to give this advice. I'm giving myself this advice as much as I'm giving it to any of you, because I need it. One of the tasks I completed today that I had been procrastinating for far too long was sweeping. Somehow, I had gotten it into my head that sweeping the house was going to be a major time investment, but it really didn't take me long at all, and it was actually kind of fun. By the time I was done, I wondered why I had put it off so long.

Upon further reflection, I wonder if Satan might have had a hand in my procrastination. He often tries to discourage people into inaction. Maybe dread and procrastination are a few of his tools.

In any case, waiting and worrying are often pointless, and we do it far too much. Often, the things we worry about aren't as bad as we fear, and even when they are, worrying about them doesn't make them any better. It's much better to try to focus our nervous energy into trying to get things over with, so we can cross them off our to do list and stop worrying about them. We might find that those things are easier and less time-consuming than we thought, and we'll be glad to get those tasks completed and done with. I know I am.