Petals from the Basket

Imitating the Ants

Proverbs 6: 6-8 “Take a lesson from the ants, you lazybones. Learn from their ways and become wise! Though they have no prince or governor or ruler to make them work, they labor hard all summer, gathering food for the winter.”

“My name is Brenda, and I’m lazy.” [Now you reply, “Hi, Brenda.”]

Granted, I’m probably one of the busiest lazy people you’ll meet, but the laziness seems to be a common thread through my days.

Laziness has many faces, wears many hats, and even finds its way onto many to-do lists. Its pseudonyms are numerous: “exhaustion,” “tomorrow,” “more research is needed,” “someone needs to,..” and many more. Oh, and one of my personal favorites is “right after I do this one quick little thing, I’ll get right on that.”

We all know that the first step in overcoming a weakness is to acknowledge the existence of the problem. So according to my opening statement, I’m on my way! But now what do I do?

My truly lazy self would like to use my escape-enabling quick wit to end with the proverbial “I guess I’ll figure that out tomorrow!” (Go ahead and laugh. I’ll wait!) However, I’m seeking a cure and not willing just to cover it with a bandage!

Last week I read an excellent little 30-page book, TELL YOUR TIME, by Amy Lynn Andrews. [I’ve posted an affiliate icon on the right to make it easy for you to check it out for yourself.] This got the ball rolling, and today is the day to implement what I’ve been learning! Prioritizing is an important element of every day, and this is today’s top priority!

The Bible, along with a stack of resource books (starting with my .pdf copy of TELL YOUR TIME), many notes from former journal entries, and a lot of prayer will help me develop my personalized “laziness rehab” today! To ensure success, I’ve come up with a “Ben Strohbehn-inspired” alliterated outline of the five steps I will implement:

1. Pray for guidance. (This should be a part of every day, every change, every decision, every moment!)

2. Prioritize. (I’ll be using the printable sheets from TELL YOUR TIME to help me accomplish this step.)

3. Plan a course of action. (The results from steps one and two will determine this one.)

4. Prepare. (It’s one thing to plan, but laziness can be avoided if I prepare to succeed. This includes having the right tools on hand to accomplish the plan, and also includes removing things that will hinder success.)

5. Proceed. (As I move forward, I may fail in some areas, but I will not “start over” and consider the plan a failure. I will make necessary adjustments and right choices – and keep moving forward!)

So, I’m logging off now and headed to the desk to begin – – – right after I . . . . (Juuuuuuuuust kidding!!!)

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Thank you for reading “Imitating the Ants.” Please feel free to leave a comment.