Remember that you can do
almost anything, but you cannot do everything. Whenever you start a task, you
are automatically giving up everything else you could have done during that
time.
Prioritizing
means taking conscious control of your choices and choosing to spend more time
on the things that are important and valuable, and less time on the ones that
are not as important or valuable.
This may sound obvious, but
the fact is that the vast majority of people don’t put much thought into how
they spend their time. They just flow
through life going wherever the current takes them, doing whatever grabs their
attention next or repeating the same things day after day out of habit and
routine.
What daily activities tend to consume your
time and energy?
We should seek Scriptural Priorities in our
day-to-day lives.
When we seek Scriptural
priorities, we discover those relationships, activities, and pursuits that
should precede others in term of rank and order. I believe God wants us to prioritize all of
the possible activities in life according to these spiritual priorities.
The Kingdom of God. “Seek first His
kingdom and His righteousness” (Matthew 6:33).
Love for God. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (Mark 12:30).
Love for Jesus. “He who loves
father or mother more than Me [Jesus] is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son
or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew
10:37).
The Lord Jesus Christ. “He Himself
[Christ] will come to have first place in everything” (Colossians
1:18).
Things in heaven. “Keep seeking the
things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the
things that are on earth” (Colossians 3:1-2).
The spiritual goal of heaven. “One thing I do:
forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on
toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).
Good deeds. “Learn to engage
in good deeds” (Titus 3:14). “…zealous for good deeds.” (Titus 2:14) “Be
careful to engage in good deeds” (Titus 3:8).
We should seek to minimize the Unimportant Activities in our lives.
We
cannot eliminate many parts of our life.
We must work in order to provide for ourselves. We need enough sleep to
maintain our health and strength. We
need to eat well enough to sustain good health.
We need to exercise regularly to promote energy, good health and
well-being. We need a certain amount of
relaxation, although this can often become misused. We also need to cultivate good relationships
with people.
A quiet time is a tremendous
privilege we’ve been given. The creator of the universe invites us to spend
time with him every day. What if your favorite actor, musician, or athlete
asked you to spend time with him or her every day. Would you say, “Sorry, I don’t have time for you”? Probably not! So why do we say “no” to God's invitation
to spend time with Him? We’re missing out on
so much when we do.
3 Basic Steps:
1. Keep your life balanced. Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
There is time for worship
and service just like there is time for friends and leisure time. Be aware of
the importance of giving God his place in your life.
2. Don't get caught up with negative influences. Stay away from worldly infections which will hinder your
growth and relationship with God. Be aware of what affects your attitude, your
thoughts, your actions and your desire to be better. Be aware of temptations
around you which only want to separate you from the goals God has for you. Be
firm when setting your priorities and follow through with God's plan for you.
3. Allow your spirit to grow. 2 Corinthians 5:10; Romans
14:10-12
Prayer time and reading your
bible will allow your faith to strengthen. Make sure to engage in daily time
with God to allow this to happen.
We must seek to Do the Right Thing.
The key is to have the
courage, integrity, and character to do the right thing in spite of the pressure
and urgency you feel.
5 Practical Questions
Questions have the power to
instantly change your focus and put you into a productive frame of mind. Here are five questions you
can ask yourself habitually throughout the day to help you make the best use of
your time. These questions will immediately direct your focus, your attention,
and your thinking towards your top priorities and away from distractions.
1. What is the most valuable
use of my time right now?
The purpose of this question
is to focus your mind on what is most important and valuable at this moment. It
is a perfect question to ask whenever you are unsure about what to work on
next, whenever you face an unexpected interruption, or whenever you feel that
you are not making good use of your time.
2. What am I ultimately
trying to accomplish?
The purpose of this question
is to focus your thinking on your real objectives and goals; the real reasons
you are working on your projects and tasks.
3. What am I giving up to do
this?
Remember that whenever you
choose to do something, you automatically choose not to do everything else you
could have done during that time.
The purpose of this question
is to help you realize what you are giving up in order to undertake some other
task or project. Once you recognize the true cost of any activity, you may
decide that it’s not how you really want to spend your time.
4. What are my three most
important projects or tasks today?
The purpose of this question
is to help you make use of the 80/20 rule each and every day by identifying the
top two or three most important projects and tasks, which could account for up
to 80 percent of your day’s value.
5. Should I continue doing
this?
This is a slight variation
of the first two questions but shifts the focus toward what to stop doing
rather than what to start doing.
An essential step in living
your priorities is to pause when you have an unexpected event or interruption
and recognize that you are about to decide whether it is a “first thing” or
not.
Instead of just reacting to
the unexpected based on your immediate needs and pressures, you can pause to
make a conscious choice based on a longer‑term perspective.
Your power to consciously
choose how to react to the unexpected events and circumstances around you lies
at the very core of effective prioritization of time.
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