The statement, “Time waits for no one” is a MAJOR understatement. Even young children have figured out how fast time flies. I’m not quite sure at what point we really figure it out, but as adults we definitely understand it. When you start factoring in LIFE (the reality of work, errands, cooking, cleaning, hobbies, reading, keeping up with the news, part-time jobs, dreams, and on and on), we figure out how much spare time we REALLY have – almost none!
As I’ve been talking about Eliminating the Unnecessary (Part 1) (Part 2) all week, it would be impossible to talk about this without talking about time wasters! There’s nothing more frustrating than evaluating something that you’ve spent your time on and then figuring out that the person or project has wasted what time you do have.
Let’s stop the madness! Let’s eliminate the time wasters! If you’re spending too much time on social media while life passes you by, regulate your time. If you’re spending more time writing more goals than you’re getting accomplish, get an accountability team to help you get the work done. If you’re succeeding with your work and failing with your family, get a better schedule. Whatever you’re doing, you’ve got eliminate the unnecessary with your time.
I think anyone with any passion to pursue their purpose is determined to methodically figure out how to consistently maximize their time. They simply know that they don’t have any time to waste. Dr. Tony Evans said, “Since we don’t know when we’ll die, we never really know how old we are.” That’s so true! Dr. Martin Luther King died at Age 39. So for him, he was old at age 30. Let that sink in for a moment! If you’re 40 and will die at Age 50, you’re already 75% completed with your life.
The Bible speaks about this well in Ephesians 5: 11- 17, “Don’t waste your time on useless work, mere busywork, the barren pursuits of darkness. Expose these things for the sham they are. It’s a scandal when people waste their lives on things they must do in the darkness where no one will see. Rip the cover off those frauds and see how attractive they look in the light of Christ.
Wake up from your sleep,
Climb out of your coffins;
Christ will show you the light!
So watch your step. Use your head. Make the most of every chance you get. These are desperate times!Don’t live carelessly, unthinkingly. Make sure you understand what the Master wants.” (The Message)
Did the Bible say, “Useless work…”?!?! I think it did! So, I’ve got a lot of questions! What exactly is ‘useless work’? Who defines what ‘useless work’ is? If I waste time on ‘useless work’ can I get that time back?
With all of these questions and more, there must be some clear guiding principles in your life to ensure that you’re not going to be engaging in “useless work, mere busy work…”.
You must have:
- A vision! If your vision is to start a sanitation company, then studying mopping techniques is not busy work for you. But if your vision is to become an Executive Chef, studying mopping techniques is a total waste of time for you. It all starts with a vision. What’s your vision for your life?
- A Plan To Track Your Time! Your time is like your money. If you want to know where it’s going, you need to be able to track it. Put everything on your calendar. That last encouragement assumes that you have a calendar. If you don’t, then the starting point for you is to get a great calendar that you can keep with you everywhere you go. Our smartphones and tablets have helped with this process for sure, but even if you are using a paper process, be consistent! For a solid month, keep track of every single that you do. When you do, you’ll start to notice some personal trends and rhythms.
- An Ideal Schedule. Michael Hyatt has helped me tremendously with this. Here he talks about his ideal schedule. Although I am still perfecting the process in my life, looking at his ideal week and evaluating it based on the goals that I’ve set for the various responsibilities that I have, I can have a clear picture of what should be and strive towards that.
This journey is an everyday push to make the most of every opportunity that you have. Every day and moment is an opportunity that you cannot get back. Once it is gone, it is gone. My prayer for you is the same prayer that I pray for myself: “Lord, help me to make the best use of my time based on the purpose that you’ve uniquely made for me and me only. Help me to be wise and strategic with my time. Most of all Lord, help me not miss moments and opportunities, people and possibilities. Help me to manage my time without misusing people. My time belongs to you. As I chase you, you’ll show me what to do and when to do it.”
Enjoy your day! You’ll never see it again once it’s gone.