Numbering Your Days! September 28th

[Wise Time Management]
Ephesians 5:15-16, I Thessalonians 4:11-12; Psa 90:12 AMP.

As you know and experience every day, few people have enough time, yet each of us has all that there is. The main thing is what we do with the time we have and how we utilize it. It is a unique resource – we are forced to spend it whether we choose to or not and at a fixed rate of 60 seconds a minute. Time is irretrievable! The whole matter is NOT really time management, but SELF-management. Franklin said,“Time is the stuff of which life is made.”

Time is life…James 4:14 says…
We must be self disciplined to manage our selves in the time allotted to us.
All of life is sacred…how many spiritual things have I done today?
Realizing that all of our life is sacred helps us to place a higher value upon every activity we engage in throughout each day, whether at home, at work, OR at homework!

We always look for external time wasters, but as POGO in the comic strip says…We have met the enemy and they is us.” What are Time Wasters? …excuses for having too much to do in too little time.

The harder you work, the more you get done is not necessarily true, it could be poor planning. Plan Ahead…I am told that each hour you spend in effective planning can save 3 to 4 house in execution and get better results. By failing to plan, you are planning to fail. Let us be “producers of results and not punchers of time clocks.” Let us work smarter, not harder. Let us work with maximum speed. Col. 3:23…the question is not how much we are doing, but how much we get done. Parkinson’s law – the amount of work will always expand to fill the time available to do it.

You should be time’s master! Keeping a time log is a very good tool to use, especially if you struggle with mastering your time. Also, it is a good tool if you feel you have reached a point where you need to re-evaluate and assess where you are investing your time. From your individual time log, you can discover what you are doing with your time [life] and identify habits which could be robbing you of your time:
Television leaving projects unfinished
Procrastination difficulty in getting started
Wishing perfectionism
The past saying yes to no ?’s
Unselective reading negative thinking
Telephone indecision

Remember:
1. Each day of our lives is to be meaningful.
2. We are to be joyful in our difficulties [James 1:2]
3. Visualize ultimate benefits from every happening knowing Romans 8:28-29
4. Result…stability I Tim. 3:5, 12 b

Evaluate Your Time Log:
1. Identify and define your present responsibilities.
2. More than 6 days of work…conclusion, you are involved in more things than God intended. Protect some free time in your scheduling.
3. Priorities must be based on God’s Word (Rom.12:1-2…world=any influence that will hinder you from God’s purpose for you.) Eph.6:18,5:18

Every Christian should function under some basic assumptions about life which work together to make up our Value System which is primary to managing our lifetime!
1. Because God exists and He is our Creator and Designer, there is purpose and meaning to life.
2. Because there is purpose and meaning to life, it does make a difference how I act and what I do.
3. Life is basically relationships and what is most important is how I act toward and respond to other human beings.
4. Priorities are of utmost importance…the “work” must never take precedence over people and the Body of Christ. Purpose to build your life around the Lord’s priorities.

The Number ONE PRIORITY of a Man or a Woman, any Christian, single or married:
Your relationship and fellowship with God. Matt. 6:33; “to love the Lord that God with all your heart, soul, and mind”, have no other gods before Him…
The second priority is different if you are single or married:
For a married woman: her husband is her second priority as she is his! then her children and her home. Her fourth priority is omitted unless she has her first three priorities in order. Proverbs 31:16. There is a tremendous danger in accepting jobs which do not fit in with the ministry and goals God has given. Learn what not to do and learn to say NO! Considering a new field…”Are you a puppet whose strings are drawn by a crowd of unknown and unorganized people?” Protect your time by learning to say yes to yes questions and no to no questions.

Nehemiah was a man who knew his priorities. God gave him a job and he not only accepted the assignment but became a single focused man because of it. He organized and led the re-building of the wall…many times he worked with a hammer in one hand and a sword in the other to protect his priority from the enemies. Two of his enemies used a different tactic than warfare instruments. They used the tactic of distraction. Have you been distracted from your priorities? Has your pastor, your friend, or an attractive person you admire been used by the enemy to distract you? Sanballet and his buddy came to the war, “You-who, Nehemiah, we need to meet, please come on down?” Nehemiah’s reply would be one that you and I should memorize and use frequently, “I am doing a great work and I cannot come down!” Nehemiah refused to be distracted from his God-given priority. What about you?!

If you are a married woman and you know that you are keeping your first three priorities in order, then you can consider that new field…that opportunity through prayer, and through your husband’s guidance. Then that fourth priority can become a reality…your outside ministry.

For a married man: his wife is his second priority, then his children, then his vocation. I believe that a successful man is one who is engaged in work that gives him satisfaction and a sense of significance, maintains a good name and reputation, has a rich personal relationship with his wife and family and is habitually all-out for God.

A single man or woman has a different set of priorities from married folks.
I Corinthians 7 “He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord: But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife…the unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit; but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband. And this I speak for your own profit; not that I may cast a snare upon you, but for that which is comely and the ye may attend upon the Lord without distraction.”

Among a single person’s priorities might be found: family, church, vocation, good works, education, etc. The Lord will enable you to find and keep the order of your
priorities.

Everyone should be like Nehemiah…married or single. Have your priorities settled, perhaps even written down as a reminder. Then when the enemy comes to distract you, you will be prepared to say, “I am doing a great work, and I cannot come down!”

When we function in the knowledge of the four assumptions and in a constant awareness of the priorities that God has determined in our individual life, it will aid us in not allowing “time wasters” in our lives.
It is so easy to be busy but difficult to be effective.

Begin right away to ELIMINATE AND CONCENTRATE: Axe everything that does not give you the satisfaction of knowing that you are keeping your priorities.

From your time log, you may discover your PRIME time. This time where you seem most energetic and achieve better results with wise use of that energy and that block of time. You should reserve this time for your top priority “to do” projects for the day.

KNOW WHERE YOU ARE HEADED: Proverbs 16:9…when a man or woman does not know what harbor he/she is headed for, no wind is the right one. Write down your objectives in the light of your priorities. Write down long-term and short-term goals which will help you reach these objectives. Be sure these goals are attainable and authentic—things you really want and are willing to work for. Analyze what you are doing every day in the light of your goals—“Is what I am doing moving me closer to one of my goals?” Goals should cover spiritual, educational, physical, housework, professional, etc.

Having Fun and Using Your Time Wisely go hand in hand. Wok is FUN only when you have it under control, when you know what your objective is and when you ar4e moving toward that objective. Leisure is fun only when you can relax without feeling guilty, knowing you have earned a rest.

THIEVES which you may discover from your time log:
USELESS HABITS and what to do about them—
1. Replace an old habit with a new one and do it with enthusiasm. Tell someone else that you are making this change.
2. Never let an exception occur until the new habit is firmly rooted. A desire will lessen if it is never fed.
3. Seize every opportunity to act on your resolution. Follow your good behavior with something pleasant—tends to reinforce. Plan little rewards for yourself.
I have heard it said that it takes 29 days to form a habit.

PROCRASTINATION:
IS A VERY BAD HABIT. We may be caught saying, “This task is unpleasant, therefore, I will put it off as long as I can.” Instead choose to think, “This task is unpleasant, but it must be done; therefore, I will do it NOW so that I can forget it.”
Salami Technique can help defeat procrastination…Salami is rather unpleasant looking when it is whole, but it looks appetizing when sliced into thin slices. “Bench-mark” method.
You may find it difficult to simply get started…Well,
1. Pick one area where you see that you do this and conquer it!!
2. Focus on one problem at the time.
3. Give yourself a deadline and share it with a friend. Gal. 6: 2, 5.
4. Take the most difficult area first. Do not yield to the temptation to clean up small items first…it is the pathway to frustration. Get the big one out of the way first…downhill (east going) the rest of the way (cruising).
5.Do not let perfectionism paralyze you!

Choose EXCELLENCE! It is motivating.
Excellence is attainable, gratifying, healthy
Perfectionism is unattainable, frustrating, neurotic
Fear of embarrassment, rejection, and failure is so often the reason for procrastination.

ACT AS IF…visualize yourself completing the task cool with self-confidence. If you are dawdling, drifting, and working at a task instead of doing it, blow the whistle on yourself and ask these questions:
1. Exactly why am I trying to do this task? Is it worthwhile?
2. If it is…Have I set a deadline for myself? Have I resolved to meet the deadline?
3. If my life depended upon doing this task in half the time I have allocated, what shortcuts would I take? Is there really any reason not to take them now? Then…take the steps and DO the job…finish it!

UNFINISHED TASKS:
Adopt a Compulsion to Closure! Getting started is fine and carrying it forward is fine, but until a task is completed you have not done what you set out to do. Once you start something – FINISH IT! Luke 9:62. You can think of only one thing at a time and you can work on only one task at a time, so select the most important one and focus all your attention on it. It is not the amount of time on a project that counts, but the UNINTERRUPTED time.

ALL of these will aid you in conquering the habit of Procrastination!!

CLUTTER:
When in doubt, throw it out?

INDECISION:
is another thief of time. If our lives are following in obedience the revealed will of God that is in the Word of God, then we are walking in His will and can expect His specific will to be revealed to us personally on the moment-by-moment experiential level. (expectations from the Lord Psa. 62:5)

Following the Guidelines to Guidance will be a great help for indecision…
GUIDELINES TO GUIDANCE
1. Conviction within Psa. 37:4
2. Confirmation of Scriptures
by principle
by promise
3. Counsel of others Prov. 11:14 Safety in multitude of counselors 15:22
counselors purposes established 27:9 hearty counself of man’s
friend…sweetness rejoice heart.
4. Common sense (sanctified God-sense) I Cor. 14:33, 40 Not the author of
confusion…all things decent and in order
5. Circumstances without (ALWAYS consider last)
Sometimes we must WAIT, but that is different than indecision, listen for His voice…Psa. 27:14

TELEPHONE:
Approaches set the trend for a telephone call. “What can I do for you?: “Hi, sure is good to hear from you, how are things going?” It never harms to simply express that your time right then is committed and make an appointment to call back if it is something that cannot be settled quickly or is simply a social call.
Socializing on the telephone or in accidental encounters can be one of our worst
enemies for wasting our time.

LIVING IN THE PAST:
Don’t!! Live in the present. It is a waste of precious time to spend life saying, “If only….” Substitute “next time…” Keep a clear conscience between you and the Lord and between you and others. Absorb the Lord’s forgiveness and learn from the past but step out into the present. Ask forgiveness quickly and give forgiveness quickly. Phil. 3:13-14…forgetting those things which are behind…press toward the mark!”

UNSELECTIVE READING:
Is it worth the amount of my life it will cost to read it? Nothing is more ridiculous than having to read a piece of paper to determine whether you ought to be reading it at all.
Get rid of junk mail. Get off mailing lists. Handle correspondence ONCE. Consider taking speed reading if you struggle with getting through your reading.

TELEVISION:
Same guidelines!

CRISIS:
They result from failure to act until a matter becomes urgent with the result that more time is required to do the job. Analyze every crisis and see if you can devise ways to prevent a repetition. Putting out today’s fire interferes with fire prevention.

You may discover other time thieves as you evaluate your time log. Be sure you
look at the time wasters wisely…axe anything which is not leading you toward the God-given goals for your life.

PREPARE (PLAN) AND PREVENT RATHER THAN REPAIR AND REPENT!!

There are a few things you might need to add to your life or continue because they are important to your particular family life, industry of your tasks, personality, needs, etc. and they certainly do contribute to wise time management:

BREAKS: Important change of pace. Restorative breaks are not poor use of time. Anything which contributes to good health is good time management. Time with the Lord is our most important restorative bread…prayer, Bible reading, meditation…aside from our planned quiet times.

NAPS:
may be important to you. You need to discover how much sleep you really need. Prov. 20:13..love not sleep lest thou come to poverty. 6:4 give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. And there is one verse…plow deep while sluggards sleep.
It seems to me that we tend to stay up later and work harder when stress comes…that is when we need rest for our bodies. “He causes us to prosper even as we sleep.” I understand that many Americans are sleep deprived. Much of the time it is not because of stress necessarily, but because of poor time management and attempting to make up for the time they lost.

EXERCISE AND PROPER DIET:
are important to you and to me.

EVALUATION:
When you participate in a project or event, evaluate immediately afterward. What did I do right? What did I do wrong? Materials used, etc. File away for the next time you do a similar project. The evaluation is part of fire prevention.

WHEN YOU ARE A LEADER in any situation or event:
Do everything decently and in order as the Lord does. Delegate when you can. Find ways to involve others to the extent of their ability. (this is an important aspect of training our children) Sound use of time involves thinking in terms of effectiveness first and efficiency second. Don’t think “I can do it better.”

When heading a group…be sure your meetings start on time, are well planned, get to and stick to the point, have a time limit agenda, and end on time. Delegate and give authority to make decisions within that responsibility. What is managing= planning, organizing, staffing, directing, controlling the activities of others in order to achieve objectives that have been agreed upon.

POSITIVE TENSION is healthy. It can take many forms. A deadline that must be met, an awareness that your work is going to be judged or graded, a sense of competition with others—these pressures bring out the best in people, challenging them to use time as effectively as possible. There is a kind of tension that is bad… the kind that produces harmful stress. Tension headaches and other ailments associated with stress are often a result of frustration growing out of poor use of time practices. Phil. 4:6 be anxious in nothing.

WARDROBING:
An organized and well-planned wardrobe is important to any woman whether she is a career person or a work at home Mom. An organized and well-planned wardrobe is important to a man…single or married. Learn and DO what you can to control this area of your life.

Choose to be effective: (story of contractor—great job just the wrong one!)
EFFECTIVE—Best use of time.
EFFICIENT—best way to do the job.
PROBLEM—Many times you may be doing an efficient job, but it
may be the WRONG JOB!!

Develop a desire to achieve God-given goals for your life, keeping your priorities in order rather than to be busy with activities which may not do so.

KNOW YOURSELF!! Quit trying to be like someone else. Find out what works for you…
Are you taking advantage of the technology available today?
Computers. Cell phones. Palm Pilots and such.
OR are they taking advantage of you. Are you a victim or a victor?

Calendars are invaluable!!

Your most useful habit is scheduling and using your calendar…whatever form it may be in: Daytimer, large desk calendar, Notebook, a steno pad.

A great tool for every day wise use of time OR an adaption of this idea:
At the end of the day, prepare a list of the “to do’s” for the next day.
Separate your list into A. B. C’s.
A = top priority—MUST do!(Wives, these should include what your
husband would like achieved that day.
Everyone – this should include what your authority would like achieved that day.)
B= important—NEED to
C= not necessarily important, but WOULD LIKE TO!
RULE: Never do a B until all A’s are done. Never do a C until all B’s are done.
Carry over to the next day those things which do not get done.

GET ORGANIZED FOR ACHIEVEMENT:
If you are overwhelmed because you are “so far behind” OR “there is just too much to do”…remember that the Lord never requires of you what He does not give you the resources and stamina to accomplish. Take a recess from activity and PLAN and ORGANIZE to ACHIEVE.

Don’t ever OVER organize where you place organization above family, friend, and/ or hospitality.
Many books are available for practical helps.
FIRST get principles and priorities in order!

1st need is to establish your God-given priorities.
2nd a commitment to keep those priorities in order which will be your greatest help
in accepting or refusing additional responsibilities.
Guard your time…it is your life and as a Christian “He is your life!” That makes what you do with your time of utmost importance. Do not live independently of the Lord by planning and doing your deeds by the power of your flesh, but daily moment by moment surrender yourself to Him as a living sacrifice that He might
do through your humanity what He wants to achieve through your life…your time.
“Without Him, you can do nothing (that really counts for eternity), but with Him
you can do all things through Christ Who strengthens you.”
Using my time wisely in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.