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PROGRAM D-7003
How are your work habits? I’m taking a look at some areas where we might be letting down the standards a bit and not keeping our work habits as strong as they should be. Did you ever think about the fact that if you’re a believer, your work habits are a spiritual issue? It’s true, because we will be accountable to the Lord for how we spend our time and energy.
One poor work habit which can cause all kinds of problems is not staying with the job until it is finished—not following through, not staying on task. Did you ever notice how you often interrupt yourself when you’re trying to get a job done? Sometimes we’re our worst enemies when it comes to time management. Paul told the Corinthians that “…everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way.” I think that would include our work habits. So, check it out and see if you’re wasting time with self-interruptions.
Stick with the job until it’s finished—now that’s a very good work ethic. And I have to remind myself of that quite often. You know, I play little tricks on myself to avoid those self-interruptions. For example, when I’m writing, I’ll set up a reward for myself, like this: Okay, Mary, as soon as you get this much written, then you can go get a cup of tea.
Now, that may sound silly to you, but I need gimmicks and self-rewards to keep me at a job, since I tend to jump from one thing to another very easily. That can make for very bad work habits, so it’s one of the areas where I have to keep strong controls in place in order to use my time wisely.
Remember, your work habits matter to God. He cares about every area of your life, and he wants you to be a good steward of your time and energy. Make sure you stick with the job until it’s finished. That will make your job easier and it will be a good testimony to those around you.