“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise.” (Prov. 6:6, RSV)

As a kid, do you remember turning over a rock, brick, or piece of wood and seeing hundreds of ants scurry? Disrupt ants’ lives and it’s chaos. But within minutes, they are back at work busily restoring, relocating, rebuilding their lives. Destroy an anthill and see it rebuilt in no time.
The Wisdom teachers of ancient Israel noticed the hard work, foresight, and industry of ants. To warn against laziness and indolence, the teachers instructed:

“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise. … She prepares her food in summer, and gathers her sustenance in harvest” (Prov. 6:6, 8).

“The ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer. …” (Prov. 30:25).

Ants busy themselves with tiny tasks to accomplish big jobs. They plan ahead. They store food all summer. They prepare for winter long before winter arrives. To the would-be loafer or procrastinator, the ancient Wisdom teachers said, “Look to the daily diligence and persistence of the ant!”

These proverbs speak to my lifelong struggle with procrastination. I’m not lazy; I’m a perfectionist. I delay tasks, especially creative ones, to think through every detail, carefully consider every option. When I finally sit down to a project or decision, I want to feel that it’s my best work.

To “procrastinate,” says Webster, is “to put off doing (something unpleasant or burdensome) until a future time—especially to postpone habitually.”

My guess is that most of us have struggled with this issue for all kinds of reasons. Who among us has not postponed in a way that increased stress, violated deadlines, or disrupted teamwork? Who among us has never finished because we kept waiting for “just the right time”?

“Look to the ant and be wise … all summer she stores up her food,” say the ancient sages. I’m trying to live that lesson in my work, family, and personal life. I’m still learning the discipline of partial tasks each day rather than waiting for the moment to do it all at once.

Look to the ant and be wise!