Okay, if you know me well, you know I probably need this topic more than you. I tend to have a lot of irons in the fire, and it causes too much stress. I thought I should limit this discussion to 3 time management tips so that it doesn’t get overwhelming. Hopefully, this will help me. And, hey, if it helps you, too, would you let me know about it? Thanks!
1. Prioritize
What is really most important? What gives you a sense of fulfillment? What is it that only you can or should do? Here are some ideas.- Spend personal time with God. I know you are doing this every time you use my unique Chronological Bible studies. Thank you. I have found spending time with God to actually save me time and make my relationships with others go better. How does it save time? When I focus on God and what he wants, he helps me focus on what is most important (writers like me have trouble focusing. We have too many ideas floating around, and we want to try them all).
The way that spending time with God helps my relationships is that I am focusing on my relationship with God and my relationship with people when I am praying for my friends and loved ones. But, ahh, I’m sure you already figured that out. And, by the way, I do pray for you, even if I haven’t met you. We all have needs.
- Family. You don’t want to miss out on this one. Building relationships is an investment into people’s lives, and families can be a great blessing. Read what this Biblical song writer has to say,
But may the righteous be glad and rejoice before God; may they be happy and joyful. Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds –his name is the LORD– and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families, he leads forth the prisoners with singing; but the rebellious live in a sun-scorched land.
P.S. If you are having trouble in your family, I recommending talking to a compassionate Christian counselor, pastor, or the Focus on the Family organization. The time to settle any problems is now.- Work. Ken Coleman is an inspirational speaker who wants us to live our dream job. If you are discouraged, his podcast, the Ken Coleman show, is for you. Work is a place where we can achieve what we were meant to do, even if we aren’t paid. Not all of us can do what we want right away, but if we develop our talents, make connections, and follow our passions, we may be able to work our mission. King Solomon, the wisest man of his times sums it up this way, “Then I realized that it is good and proper for a man to eat and drink, and to find satisfaction in his toilsome labor under the sun during the few days of life God has given him– for this is his lot. (Ecclesiastes 5:18, NIV)
- Hobbies. I love hobbies more than my work. It can be relaxing or energizing. I love to research the Bible and articles related to the topic I want to cover. I love to create content for blogs, websites, articles, and other forms of literature and optimize them so you can find them. I hope you enjoy them and profit by them. Just curious….what do you like to do? What is your passion? What floats your boat and fills your sails? What gets you up in the morning or makes it difficult to sleep?
2. Stay Focused
Don’t bundle tasks unless they are mindless. That can be more inefficient than you realize and sometimes dangerous. Limit or eliminate unimportant distractions.
Most, if not almost all of us have time-wasters–some friends or family that just like to hang out when they are bored but have nothing much to say. Others watch TV for endless hours or are constantly playing with video games. Still others are on their social media platforms for endless hours. Restrict these activities for free time. One more word about this—please stop looking at your phones and look at people’s faces when they are in the same room. Then do the unthinkable–talk to them. Ask them what they have been thinking about today…and…here it comes…listen! Then, after you have heard them completely, ask a follow-up question and listen again. This is where I am learning to grow.
P.S. Interruptions happen. That’s part of life, and we should not get mad about it. But as soon as we can, we should return to our highest priorities of the moment.
Here are some things to help you. Turn the cell phone off or at least the notifications, turn off the TV or radio, put your pet in another room, ask others to respect this time or recruit their help.
3. Make a point of finishing what you start before you begin a new project
This is another problem I share. Sometimes I have six boxes open, and I can’t handle more than three well. Sure, its true, that because of extenuating circumstances, sometimes you have to stop, but let that be the exception and not the rule. What goals do you have? Are they measurable? Keep working on them until they are done. If you need help, get it. Finishing what you start will be a great encouragement to you and others who know you. It will give you confidence and satisfaction in your work.
Follow these three time management tips to be more effective. If you want more help, this looks like a cool pdf you can download and print here.
A Bible study you might enjoy on this subject is from the book of Ecclesiastes. You can find it here