Twas the night before clinical...

Twas the night before clinical, I lay in my apartment,

 the alarm clock was ticking, sleep would be an achievement.

In my bed blinking, I closed my eyes as I dared,

Anticipating tomorrow: this first day would be quite an affair.

My alarm's ring was prompt; I rolled right out of bed,

expectations for the day ran all through my head.

Quick cup of coffee- nope, don’t have the time,

(you see, being late is a professional crime.)

Timely arrival in the early morning light,

our brigade of spick n’ span uniforms must’ve been quite a sight.

After a quick time of briefing, we set off through the halls;

Ready to respond as we would be called.

Creativity is a mantra of the nursing profession,

(as our assigned place was occupied, we made a cession).

Onto a new floor, we started our hunt,
familiarizing ourselves with where things are put.

Representing our school, professors, and selves,

we sought to be adept, not ransacking the shelves.

At the end of our time, (what we accomplished)

was the facility confidence that we had established.

No need to be anxious, I learned once again;
each day brings new mercies from my Savior and Friend.

My God goes with me, (behind and before);
I can’t wait to see what next week has in store.

image courtesy of nicecliparts.com

Time is of the Essence: How to Deal With Procrastination

Photo Credit: Hannah Harman

If you’re like me you know that procrastination tastes like coffee and junk food sometime after midnight.
It feels like winning an Olympic event, as you suddenly crank out in an hour what you had been trying to do for a week.

It looks like running to class in sweat pants because you ran out of time to leave early and to get ready.

Procrastination is kind of a joke and often is seen as a part of the college experience; It doesn’t have the stigma of other destructive habits.

Reality

People don’t talk about the agony of grabbing hold of each minute that is slipping away, the exhaustion as assignments turn into incoherent words and numbers, or the hopelessness of knowing that it is physically impossible to complete a task on time.

Procrastination is really laziness. It compromises standards of excellence.

It steals precious time and holds uncompleted tasks over its prisoners’ heads.

Diligence is the opposite of laziness.

In his book, “Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life”, Donald Whitney quoted Elisabeth Elliot as saying,

“…in fact freedom is not the opposite [of discipline], but the final reward, of discipline.”

It is freedom to take on a demanding task in manageable increments.

It is freedom to complete a task on time.

It is freedom to know you did your best.

It is freedom to be able to say that something is already done.

How to Avoid Procrastination:

 

1. Be organized so you can prioritize.

2. Do hard things first.

 (“All hard work brings a profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty.” Proverbs 14:23)
3. Avoid a;sldkfj syndrome.

 (Being bored, distracted, and unproductive. Google it.)
4. Rely on Christ.

(“For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7)

My Journey 

Nike says we can just do it. 

Maybe some people can.

For me, though, it’s not been that easy.

I procrastinate less than I used to, but it’s been a long road of God’s grace and teaching.

I’ve learned that He has called us to greater things than wasting time.

And He has set us free from all sin, including laziness.

“Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” Ephesians 5:15-17

 

 A blog series by C.J. Mahaney called “Biblical Productivity” has helped me see what the Bible says about how I use time and make priorities. It also addresses procrastination.

 Here’s a link: Free Biblical Productivity Series (ebook)