How to Have a Bad Day Step 14: Procrastinate

Want to sabotage your day before it even begins? Easy. Just start procrastinating. It's like passive-aggressively telling your future self, “Good luck with that, sucker.”

Tried-and-True Ways to Procrastinate:

Start a to-do list. Spend 45 minutes making it cute. Forget to do anything on it.

Suddenly get the urge to organize your spice rack alphabetically.

Convince yourself you can’t start working until your environment is perfect.

Rewatch The Office. Again. Because laughter is medicine.

Google “how to be more productive” instead of being productive.

Decide to “just check Instagram real quick.”

Sound familiar? You’re not lazy. You’re just “creatively avoiding responsibility.”

Why We Procrastinate:

Fear of failure – If I never start, I can’t fail!

Perfectionism – “If I can’t do it perfectly, I don't want to do it at all.”

Decision fatigue – When deciding what to do takes more energy than actually doing it.

Overwhelmed – Your brain short-circuits and starts doing “easier” more satisfying things like reorganizing your online photos or sorting your yarn collection.

Why It’s Not Healthy:

Increases stress, guilt, and anxiety

Decreases sleep quality and mental health

Damages your confidence and (possibly) relationships

Delays your growth and goals

Robs you of peace

Overwhelmed? Yeah, Same.

Overwhelment is the gateway drug to procrastination. When your to-do list looks more like a Superstore receipt, you end up doing… nothing.

A college professor once told us: “Take the first thing on top of your pile and deal with it. Don’t keep sorting it.” Simple. Not sexy. But wildly effective.

I remember this advice every Monday morning when I face the chaotic mountain of files, receipts, kids' drawings, mail, rogue crochet patterns, and whatever else decided to throw a party on my desk the previous week. I pick up what's on top and put it where it belongs. It actually never takes as long as I think and I can start work already feeling like a success. Not to mention clutter is a motivation killer, but that's for tomorrow.

What I Do Instead of Imploding:

Here is something I've been doing for a couple of years now and I find it helps alot. I give myself one main task to accomplish each day for work and for home. That’s it. If I get more done? Amazing. If not? I still go to bed feeling like a semi-functional adult instead of a swirling black hole of guilt and ice cream.

“If you have to eat a bullfrog, don’t stare at it too long. And if you have to eat two, eat the bigger one first.”

This isn’t just a quirky quote — it’s one of my life rules, and I’ve tried (with varying success) to pass it on to my children. What does this have to do with procrastination? The longer you glare at that unpleasant, looming task, the uglier and more intimidating it gets. Stop analyzing and whining about it. Just take the first bite.

And if your task comes with two bullfrogs? Go for the big, nasty one first. The grossest, most dreaded, most draining one. Just get it done. Everything else will feel like a victory lap afterward.

Example: Let’s say you have to clean the bathroom. The mirror’s got toothpaste spatter, but the toilet... oh, the toilet. It's giving off "biohazard zone" vibes and you're pretty sure something is growing behind the bowl. Don't start with the Windex. Start with the toilet. Once that beast is tamed, the rest will be a breeze — maybe even satisfying.

Scriptures to Kick You into Gear:

Proverbs 13:4 –

“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied.”

Ecclesiastes 11:4 –

“Whoever watches the wind will not plant; whoever looks at the clouds will not reap.” Biblical way of saying, "Don't look at the bullfrog!"

James 4:17 –

“If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.”(Yikes.)

Proverbs 6:9-11 –

“How long will you lie there, O sluggard? When will you arise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber... and poverty will come upon you like a thief.”

Final Thought:

Procrastination is just a lie we tell ourselves: “I’ll have more motivation later.” Spoiler: you won’t. But you will have more stress, more resentment, and possibly fewer clean socks.

But also remember you are not a machine. You are a complex, breathing human with a brain that sometimes stalls, a body that gets tired, and emotions that occasionally rebel. (See Step 12 for balance)

Procrastination doesn’t mean you’re lazy or broken — it often means you're overwhelmed, afraid of failing, or just plain exhausted. So give yourself grace. Tackle one thing today. Just one. Celebrate it. And if the rest doesn’t get done? You’re still worthy. Progress, however small, is worth applauding.

So go ahead. Bite into that frog and have a great day!  🐸