I struggle with time management. This is my confession.
I have talked to God about this subject much lately. From children to house cleaning, Army activities to personal activities, and then there are days when I would just like to sit down and sew or watch TV or update one of those scrapbooks, they are all good things. I believe God has called me to all that I am doing at present, so I know He has a way for me to do them all well – but how?
Enter – the new day planner (I will try to post a picture tomorrow when it arrives – so excited!). I am going to schedule my day – color-coded, by the way – a suggestion that my husband made months ago. I usually have a plan, but the generic plan has not seemed to work. I make it to meetings, the house is generally clean, my children are fed, and I accomplish other things periodically, but I don’t seem to get everything done that I would like too and sometimes I feel like I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off (a term I had to explain to my seven-year-old the other day).
As I mentioned, I have been praying about this a lot. I do believe these are all things God has called me to, but have asked Him to point out things that are not in His will. The first thing I need to do is double check His plan and weed out what is not in His plan for me – good things, mind you, but not His plan for me. From there it is a matter of planning through lots of prayer. What do I need to do, how much time does it take me, and how much time do I need to spend in each area? I need to pray, prioritize and rest.
Pray – You know that time each morning? Well, I read my Bible and chat with God, but it needs to become more focused. I need to allow Him to speak to me and fill me so that what I think, say, plan, and do throughout the day is exactly what He would have for me to do.
Prioritize – This is the act of finding what is important for that day or week and doing those things, focusing on what is important. Focus can be a challenge, especially with children and phone calls. But if my relationship with Christ is where it needs to be, my heart should be focused and in turn my actions.
Rest – Rest is quite possibly my biggest challenge. I go and go and then feel like I have failed because I have not accomplished the 101 things on my “to do list” that day. I need to remember where I started and trust that God knows what He is doing. If I am following His lead, I should be able trust His judgment – He is God.
Well, this is my new plan. I will share a picture of the day planner hopefully tomorrow. I am very excited – I LOVE day planners, especially when they are cute! I would love to hear your ideas, though. How do you accomplish all that He has called you to and do it well? How do you plan your day/week/month? How do you keep from getting distracted? Please! Share your ideas – I am all ears!
This is exactly my struggle these days, Kori, more than ever. I’ve always had time management issues, but even more so after this last pregnancy. The hard part is, I don’t think it’s the kids/# of kids really causing the issue, so I can’t quite put my finger on it. Part of me just wants to blame it on hormones! Let me know if you figure it out! :0)
Trinity – I know the feeling. I am going to try my new schedule plan and let you know how it works. The challenge is scheduling better, but still being flexible enough to hug on my kids sometimes or listen to a friend on the phone when I need to. I may write a follow-up blog with the results!
One day I started to say an expression that I have heard all my life, “There are not enough hours in the day…”. The Lord interrupted me with, “There are enough hours in each day to get done what I want done.” I am still trying to learn to work from HIS to-do list.
I agree, Diane. I am trying to learn such a lesson. Working off His to-do list is far less stressful and much more worthwhile. Thank you for the reply-and sharing what you have learned. Praying I get better at discerning His plan from mine.