Don’t Put It Off

Posted on by Michele Morin

I really didn’t think I needed this book.

It was written for procrastinators, for people who need help in Taming the To-Do-List.
If anything, I’m an “ante-crastinator,” too faint-hearted to wait until the last minute, who goes into panic mode just thinking about the potential of going into panic mode.

But then I read Glynnis Whitwer’s definition of procrastination, “a voluntary delay of something we could do but choose not to,” and thought about the weight I gained during the perilous winter of 2015.  Yes, THAT weight that was going to come off over the summer . . .  And now autumn is here.

Needless to say, that epiphany instantly leveled my objections and heightened my attention to the details of the book, and I found myself not only reading it but also working through the end-of-chapter questions as I read.  Glynnis’s words resonated for me and my plight:  “It’s not that we don’t get things done — we don’t get the right things done.”  Yes, my do-list gets “tamed” on a daily basis — I love those check marks!  But it’s the things I don’t write down and that don’t get done that stand in the way of my goals:  take a walk; prepare healthy snacks; go to bed!

So, I’m in.  I’m ready to stop feeling regret and to face the discomfort of saying no to myself about unhealthy eating choices (Chapter 2).  I will stop believing the myth that I can eat anything I want and still experience good health (Chapter 5).  I will make better choices about how I use my time so that I will be less likely to stress-eat (Chapter 7), and I will adopt an appreciation for this new concept:  “mono-tasking” (Chapter 8).

There is abundant wisdom to be found in the final chapters of Glynnis’s fine book, particularly around the topic of wise waiting.  “All procrastination is delay, but not all delay is procrastination.”  Waiting for the best time, waiting for other priorities to be fulfilled, waiting for God to give clear direction –these are great reasons for delayed action, and this journey of facing an area of my life that needs strengthening is a great reason for me to have read a book that I thought I didn’t need.  Is it possible that you need it too?

For more about Taming the To-Do List in Glynnis’s own words, check out her web-site, but particularly this entry.

This book was provided by Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, in exchange for my review.  I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

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Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a teacher, blogger, reader, and gardener who finds joy in sitting at a table surrounded by women with open Bibles. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty years, and together they have four sons, two daughters-in-love, three grandchildren, and one lazy St. Bernard. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook or Twitter.

28 thoughts on “Don’t Put It Off”

  3. Michele, wonderful review of a wonderful book. I loved it as well. It’s amazing to find ourselves in the midst of a book we never thought would define us 🙂 I loved the quote you shared as well > “All procrastination is delay, but not all delay is procrastination.”

    Liked by 2 people

  8. This statement really got me, “It’s not that we don’t get things done — we don’t get the right things done.” I actually bought the book a while back and have procrastinated about reading it! I like to say that we all need those (excuse me) “kick-her-in-the-butt” friends. You have been that for me today! Thanks friend!

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    1. I’m really glad to have read the book, because Glynnis’s words motivated me to make some life-style changes that really needed to be made. I’m walking every day (even in the rain!), and putting some effort into dropping the weight that found me in the winter of 2015. I guess I needed the same kind of kick!

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  10. Like you, I didn’t believe I needed to read this book since my to-do list gets mostly all checked off by the end of the day and I don’t find myself procrastinating.. But now you have me rethinking that thought. Great review!

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  16. Glad I found you through the Literary Musings linkup! You might have inspired a post – I want to write about the significance of a date I once set with a woman for 12:34 p.m. Irreverent, for sure, but it reminds me of a playful side and life-loving side that I sometimes let get covered up in everyday stress. So, thank you.

    Liked by 1 person

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