Foundation of WANTING to be successful in managing my activities and therefore my calendar:
I understand that I am a steward not an owner!
My life is not my own, it was bought with The Blood of Jesus☺
Two Scriptures on Stewardship:
2 Corinthians 5:15
“…He died for all that they who love should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”
1 Corinthians 4: 2
“…it is required of stewards that one be found trustworthy.”
The most valuable possession we have from our God is 24 hours everyday, and as a willing steward and vessel I must be found to be trustworthy of the time given to me.
Whatever I can be trusted with I will receive more of…..we see that principle in the parable of the talents….it is a law of promotion that God set in place for us to understand and benefit from. If I am trustworthy and faithful over what He has given me---He will not only reward and promote, but be pleased☺
Keys To Effectively Managing Your Activities
Goal Setting
I take an inventory of what goals I have set and where I am at in reaching them. I actually have a life story of what I want to accomplish that I read every now and then: it is my purpose! Now we are all at different places--I have a story because I have been studying this for a couple of years and have put much thought into my purpose---I encourage you to start thinking about yours.
In order to be more effective in our daily activities we need to know what to put our hand to (and just as important what NOT to put our hand to!).
Proverbs 29:18 says: “When people do not accept divine guidance, they run wild, but whoever obeys the law is happy!!!” Why??? Because they know where they are going and trust Him for growth on how to get there….. Set Personal Goals, Business Goals, Spiritual Goals, and Family Goals. My husband and I are still making a practice of this, but we like to sit down and set goals together. Think about where you want to be in 5 years, then one year. Break this down into 9month, 6month, and 3month increments of time to help you stay on target. A daily goal card is a GREAT way to keep your BIG goal in front of you as you make your way to it.
List Making
I do this nightly. After I review my goals and where I am at, I make a list of daily activities to do for the very next day that are in line with my goals, and are also tasks from everyday living that I must accomplish. May Kay Ash was big on this activity, as well as many other successful people I have read about. Benjamin Franklin said, “A life worth living is a life worth recording.”
It is so much easier to manage things when they are written down….think of your grocery store list. Have you ever wandered into Wal-Mart or the grocery store without a list???? You get whatever and it takes you longer----but if you go with a list, you get what you need and don’t waist time or money on things you don’t.
It’s the same concept……So I make a list of what needs to be done tomorrow before I go to bed. This also helps do two things---it helps clear my conscious mind so I can be at peace to rest, but it also puts the things in my subconscious mind to sleep on and the Holy Spirit will start giving me answers and ideas while I sleep so I can do those tasks tomorrow. Thomas Edison did this often when he was inventing!
Prioritizing
To do this effectively again it helps to know your purpose! What are you responsible for in this season of your life????? Prioritize your list accordingly. As our seasons change---our priorities change. As we grow, our priorities change too. Make sure you are aware that as you do grow and as seasons in your life change to be open to embrace it and allow your priorities to change as you do for the better. Abraham Maslow--American Psychologist whose studies were very original in that he was the first to study positive human behavior said, “ You will either step forward into GROWTH, or you will step back into SAFETY.” So I have learned to CHALLENGE myself in my prioritizing----example: I AM VERY family oriented and have had to adjust that in a couple of ways---#1 who is my family? and #2 who comes before them and who do they come after????
Scheduling A Calendar
Use a size that works for you depending on how much you are responsible. I use an hourly calendar that shows a snapshot of my week. Right now I have 4 categories I am keeping tabs on and I given them each a color......God, Spouse, Kids, Work Each have a different color and I block off time by using the appropriate colors in the time slots I will be using. This allows me to quickly take inventory of who is getting what time and it keeps my priorities in check. “White spots” are my openings for my list of to do’s, projects, etc…. I block my calendar up to 3 months in advance. Of course, it gets fuller as the days approach, but I have just found that to be a good time span. During my blocked timeslots, I don’t answer my phone unless it concerns what I am doing. Wherever and whatever I am doing I try real hard to give 100% of my attention to it.
Live and Thrive according to your divine design---we were made to work 6 days and rest 1 day.
Make sure your calendar is in balance with your priorities after you have planned it out. If it’s not, adjust it----example: If I put my work ahead of my children the potential is there that they will resent me and work because it is replacing them. I am not condemned about this, but I was thankful my eyes were opened to it so I could start to walk toward changing it.
Now we can see if we are spending our time or investing our time----We are accountable because it is written down and we can align ourselves more with what our purpose is☺.
Article submitted by Stephanie Tamayo.