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PROGRAM D-7140
As Christians we have a strong responsibility to use our time as wisely as possible, whether it’s on the job, in our homes, at church, in our social life, whatever.
To be good stewards of our time, we must eliminate what I call “mind clutter”—the stuff that clutters up our minds and slows us down. When you’re trying to keep too many things in your mind, when you’re mentally balancing too many balls in the air, it clutters your mind with confusion and stress. You need to establish techniques that will eliminate mind clutter.
For example, a daily time planning system helps reduce mind clutter, because you keep a record of what has to be done, you prioritize your activities, and then all that clutter is out of your mind and onto a piece of paper or electronically recorded, where you can keep track of it without confusion.
Also, project planning systems will help to reduce mind clutter. For example, every time I start to write a book, I feel overwhelmed until I plan the project. I use a time line method, and divide the number of chapters to be written into the number of weeks I have to write it and set deadlines for each chapter. Then I can see on one page a plan that shows me how I’m going to get that book written. I don’t think I’d ever accomplish a long-term goal like that without a plan that takes it out of my mind and puts it on paper. It gets rid of the mind clutter and encourages me to see how I’m going to accomplish the task.
Let me conclude by reminding you to reserve a key part of your prime time each day to spend with the Lord, in his Word and in prayer. Every Christian should have that at the top of their to-do list. Does God get your left-over time, or do you give him the first fruits of your time? He should have our prime time.
If you’ll spend time with God at the beginning of each day, you’re going to discover that the rest of your day will be much more efficient and productive, much less hassled and frantic. That is the best time saver technique you can incorporate into your life. And then pray each day that God will help you to manage your time well that day to his glory.
