Time keeps on slippin’, slippin’, slippin’ into the future!

Time waits for no man, therefore we must use it or lose it! If you have not read Lesson #1 from yesterday please do so. If you have, let’s rock and roll!

Time is not just a practical issue, it is a spiritual issue. Check this out, Monks needed to tell the time so they knew when to go to their prayers. The early clocks did not have dials on them; rather, they had bells that would tell you the time. In fact, the word “clock” comes from the German word “Glocke,” meaning bell. Monks had to go to prayers at the first light, at sunrise, in the middle of the morning, at noon, in the middle of the afternoon, at sunset, and at nightfall. So they designed a system to keep track of each hour in order to remind them when to pray. This concept birthed the alarm clock idea! The origin of keeping track of time originated from a spiritual concept!

Just like the Monks, if we do not know how to use time it will slip away from us. Time wasted cannot be regained. C.S. Lewis said, “The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of sixty minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.” Time is always moving forward, the question is are we moving forward with it? Are we using our time to focus on the things that matter and the things that will take us further in life? I have found that most people are too busy doing what they don’t want to do, that they don’t have time to do what they want to do.

Being too busy means something is WRONG! If your schedule is so busy that you don’t have any time to do the things you want to do, it is because of poor time usage. Being too busy is an excuse that means you are not in control! Corrie Ten Boom said,  “If the devil can’t make you bad, he’ll make you busy.” Being too busy should be a sign that we are not using our time properly. Being too busy means that you have never learned the word, “NO.” If we keep saying “Yes” to the things we shouldn’t be doing we are basically saying “No” to the things we should be doing.

For everything you add to your life there should be things you are giving up. If you are only adding to your life, you will crash with too much baggage. Only adding but never subtracting from your schedule will make you a time hoarder. You will become consumed with the business of a cluttered life. Eventually you will be overwhelmed with the chaos of life. When our schedule gets too chaotic we become less productive. For each thing that you say “yes” to, there should be an equal thing that you are saying “no” to. Most people are saying “yes” to the wrong things and “no” to the right things. The goal of life is to spend our time on the right things not the wrong things.

Years ago I had a super high octane employee  serving under me. They were a great asset to the organization, but had a problem using the word “NO.” When they came in to my office to meet with me for guidance I could tell something was weighing on their heart. They had too many commitments outside of our organization and I really did not want to lose them. They were juggling two commitments they had made and simply couldn’t keep doing both. When I talked to them about this concept of saying “yes” means you have to say “no” I knew I could lose them, but I was compelled to help them rather than hoard them. It came to the point that they had to say “no” to our organization in order to do what God was calling them to do. It wasn’t easy for them and for us, but it was the right thing to do. Now they are doing great and I might add they don’t have the stress of juggling several commitments.

I ask myself an important question as I put together my schedule. The question is, “Is this going to get me closer to who I want to be, doing what I want to do, making a difference in that which I want to make a difference in?” If the answer is no, then I have to question if it is the best use of my time. Just because you are busy does not mean you are moving forward.

A gentleman named John Henry Fabre conducted an experiment with Processionary Caterpillars.  They are so named because of their peculiar habit of blindly following each other no matter how they are lined up or where they are going.  This man took a group of these tiny creatures and did something interesting with them.  He placed them in a circle.  For 24 hours the caterpillars dutifully followed one another around and around. Then he did something else.  He placed the caterpillars on a round saucer full of pine needles (their favorite food).  For six days the mindless creatures moved around and around the saucer, literally dying of starvation and exhaustion even though an abundance of choice food was located less than two inches away.  You see, they had confused activity with accomplishment.

Ask yourself, “Is my time spent with activity or accomplishment?” Are you busy or are you productive? What are you doing that you could delegate to someone else? What are you doing that you don’t have to do? What are you doing that is dragging you down? What are you doing that is not moving you forward in your goals? What are you doing that you shouldn’t be doing?

CHALLENGE #2

Look over your schedule (or yesterday’s time log) and categorize what is just activity and what is accomplishment. Make two columns one titled activity and one titled accomplishment. As you go about your day make either a mental note or literally jot down what you are doing and what category it falls under. This will give you a clear picture of what your time is being spent on.

LESSON #2

For everything you add in  your schedule you must subtract something of lesser value.

Click Here For LESSON #3