Procrastination is easy to rationalize, and tough to overcome.
—John Maxwell

We pastors are tempted to put off tough but necessary tasks. We need to confront a member about gossiping, but that could get ugly, so we visit someone in the hospital.

We need to propose some cuts to balance the budget, but the trade-offs will be painful, so we read a book.

We need to clarify the church's ministry philosophy, but the more specific we get, the greater the risks appear, so we return phone calls and visit with staff members.

We're working, but we're letting important, difficult priorities slide. That's procrastination, and the cost is high. Procrastination is easy to rationalize, and tough to overcome.

Why we do it

Reasons to procrastinate abound, some obvious, others subconscious. The more we uncover and understand them, the better we can develop a game plan to defeat the delay habit. Here are four of the more common causes.

Poor self-confidence. When we know we can do a good job, we can't wait to do ...