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Welcome to the Determined to Dance podcast with your host, Jennifer Hallmark. Today’s episode, “3 Ways to Focus on Priorities and Stop Procrastination” looks at the three steps to improve our focus while leaving procrastination behind.

Are you ready? The world would have us march to its chaotic beat but God invites us to dance in His will and His way. Let’s take a moment to be energized, refreshed, and motivated to face the day, one spin and twirl at a time.

Show Notes: 3 Ways to Focus on Priorities and Stop Procrastination

I don’t want to procrastinate. Focus is what I desire. I’ve been trying for the last hour to write this episode. But with the possibility of bad weather approaching, I turned the television on to catch the weather.

Big mistake.

I finally closed my laptop until the news was over. I totally lost focus.

Am I the only one who does this? I don’t think so. Over the past year or so, the ability to focus has diminished for me. Dancing with God has been hit or miss at times. The pandemic did play a part but I believe bad habits I already had, made that worse than it should’ve been. What bad habits cause me to lose focus and procrastinate?

1. Multi-tasking-I heard it said we don’t really do a bunch of things at one time as much as we flutter and dart between several tasks.
2. Device distractions-phone, television, Kindle, iPad, and computer. Need I say more?
3. Lack of planning-I’m a discovery writer. I don’t plot my stories. Instead, I daydream about them, then write as I go. Works for my novels, not so much when planning my day.

These are my top three. Summer tends to be a busy time and add in my loss of focus lately and I feel aimless. Like someone lost in a fog. That tends to lead to hopeless feelings and the next thing I know I’m quitting writing, ministry, life.

It’s all just too hard.

That’s what a loss of focus can do. How do we get our focus back? How do we settle down, blow away the fog of lost priorities, and concentrate on what’s at hand? Is it even possible?

I sure hope so. Here’s what is helping me, even today, to move forward and spin and twirl with a purpose.

1. To combat multitasking, I do one job at a time. I’m a thinker and an idea guru so I’ve always got so much going on in my brain. I’ve started keeping a notepad or using the notes app on my phone to write down an idea when I get it instead of stopping what I’m doing at the moment and changing tasks. Completing a job before going to the next is my new goal. So, even if I hear the dryer stop, I don’t stop what I’m doing to fold clothes. I write it on my list, finish the task I’m on, then go to the next one.
2. To combat devise distraction, I turn off the television and lay aside my devices while working. And that is so hard to do. I mean, we all want to keep up with what’s happening. But I’m tired of being so unfocused. So, no more housework while Facebooking. No more talking on the phone while working on the computer. I’m tying the first two together: no multi-tasking with no devices. I believe I can do this and you can too.
3. To combat my lack of planning, I keep a notebook beside me and my trusty Google calendar. If I’m too busy to write it down, I’m too busy. Once again, I go back to making notes, plans either before I go to bed or when I first get up. I just can’t keep up in my brain without help anymore.

I really struggled with titling today’s episode. The words stop procrastination seemed ridiculous. Can we really do that? Honestly, lately, issues have been a problem too. You know the kind: bad weather issues, health issues, family relational issues, too personal to talk about issues. Any of the above can tear apart even the healthiest focus and send us into a tailspin.

That’s when I stop, drop, and ask for grace. I need God so badly, every day, every hour, every minute.

Every second. Stopping procrastination is an ongoing battle. One we don’t necessarily win but one where we can do the best we can in the battle and ask God to come alongside us, take our hand, and lead us onto the dancefloor of his grace. His mercy. His love.

I take one day at a time. Limit multitasking, device use, and make a plan. Then ask the mighty God of the universe to walk beside me.

Two scriptures help. First,

Isaiah 26:3

“You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you.”

Peace comes from a trusting mind focused on God. Second,

Isaiah 41:10

“Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

He will, you know. Here I am, 17 weeks into podcasting when I wasn’t sure I could make it to week 2. I can truly point to God and say He made this possible. He helped me to learn, to focus, to do what He called me to do. And I’m so thankful.

Let’s pray: Father God, we come to you first with thanks and praise. You are the one who makes all things possible and as we focus on you, life slows and peace overtakes us. Thank you for that peace. Help us to combat procrastination and a loss of focus so we can serve you in love and with kindness. Order our steps. Every day. In Jesus’ name, we pray, amen.

Wow. I’ve learned so much about procrastination and myself over the last few weeks. And next week, we’ll talk about perfectionism, probably my number one struggle when it comes to stalling or postponing things in my life. I truly want to release all this stuff to God and dance with Him daily.

Until then, stay determined to dance.

Links:

My website

My debut novel, Jessie’s Hope

Remember: 3 Ways to Focus on Priorities and Stop Procrastination

Video of the week:

I absolutely love music and each week I’d like to share a relevant song we can enjoy together.