Time Management, Soul Management – ​​Baptist News Global

I hope that reading this column will help you make good use of your time. and I hope that writing this column was a good use of my time, because you and I waste a lot of time.

We turn on the TV out of habit. We settle on the sofa for five minutes and it turns into an hour of looking for something to watch. Or worse, we watch The Big Bang Theory. We had already seen the episode where Sheldon is annoying and we can’t understand why Penny and Leonard are together, but that’s all.

We mindlessly scroll through social media. Mindlessly seems to be the only way to scroll through social media. We have lost track of time when we take an online quiz about which character the character is from The bear we are. We are not a character The bear. characters The bear Do not take online tests.

We start by checking the weather and end up down the rabbit hole of conspiracy theories claiming federal weather control and land grabs in North Carolina. We should take another look at the weather. We haven’t checked our email in an hour. When we see that weekly report telling us how much time we spent on our phone, we assume there’s something wrong with the report.

One of Chaucer’s famous lines is, “Time waits for no man,” but has anyone questioned that? Did anyone ever think that time would wait for them? We are constantly in a rush, and when we are not in a rush we feel guilty for not being in a rush. When there is space in our schedule we think we should fill it, but when we fill the schedule we still don’t feel like we’re getting it all done.

Our frustration has led to time management experts. Consultants tell us that time is a limited resource and we need to improve our time management. One expert complains that we waste two hours every day that we need to reclaim. Another suggests that we treat our time like money.

The Pareto principle is the claim that 80% of results come from 20% of effort, so the goal is to focus on the 20% of tasks that provide the greatest benefit. The time distribution gurus use tracking programs like Clockify to record how we spend every minute of the day.

Do we need a record of how we spend every minute of every day to know that we don’t have enough time to get everything done?

“If we were computers, these instructions would be really helpful.”

The experts provide detailed instructions on how to manage our time. Set yourself clear goals. Break them down into smaller tasks. Prioritize them. Schedule them. Focus on one at a time. Avoid distractions and procrastination. Outsource what we shouldn’t do. Check our progress and results. Adjust our plans. If we were computers, these instructions would be really helpful.

Is the goal of time management is to fill every moment with more work that we should let pass. What we need is more than an increase in efficiency. We need to clear the clutter in our schedules and recognize the value of slowing down. Ask why we do what we do. What is the purpose? Does it help anyone? Does it matter to us? Is it the right thing? Is it worth our time? Sometimes we need to make sure we do less, as best we can.

Monastic communities take regular prayer breaks at certain times of the day. This “Liturgy of the Hours” is a constant reminder that they share their hours with God. They spend their days not with a to-do list, but with a sense of dedicating their time to God. They stop and prayerfully reflect on the presence of God in their lives, just a few minutes a day, to see their time in the light of God’s love.

We are given the chance to make a fresh start every day by choosing how we spend our time.

People have understood this for a long time. This is an ancient Sanskrit saying: “Look to this day, for yesterday is but a dream and tomorrow is but a vision, but a well-lived today makes every yesterday a dream of happiness and every tomorrow a vision of hope. “So look good until today.”

We know people who are still doing well to this day – four-year-olds on their good days, poor people who don’t think they’re poor, really funny comedians, the best writers, real Christians and those who are grateful for the days they have have been given.

Jane Kenyon writes:

I got out of bed
on two strong legs.
It could have been
otherwise. I have eaten
Muesli, sweet
Milk, ripe, flawless
Peach. It could be
were different.
I took the dog uphill with me
to the birch forest.
I did it all morning
the work I love.
At lunchtime I lay down
with my buddy. It could be
were different.
We had dinner together
at a table with silver
Candle holder. It could be
were different.
I slept in a bed
in a room with paintings
on the walls and
planned another day
just like this day.
But one day, I know
it will be different.

We make the most of our days. We enjoy moments. We make people who feel overwhelmed feel good again. We offer kindness and love. We remain open to the moments when grace shows up unexpectedly, when we laugh for no reason, and when we hug someone who needs a hug.

We do what we have to do. We do what we want to do. We do what we have to do. We do this knowing that every day is a gift from God.

Brett Younger is senior pastor of Plymouth Church in Brooklyn, NY