How did you do this past week with tracking where your time goes? Mine went well because I didn’t have a lot of time to spare. I was in Dallas and was busy from morning until night conducting a seminar. Then I came home to Pittsburgh to speak at a local conference for two days and then spent the last 24 hours with my 92-year-old mother who is fading quickly with colon cancer. I mentioned last week that we would spend a few weeks talking about time management, so let’s proceed with our plan and see what we can learn together.
A TIME TO DIE
I had the privilege of burying my father twelve years ago. He actually died in my arms as I was helping him on his bed. I prayed that I would and could do the same thing for my mother and now the moment is at hand. So much of my travel didn’t work out this year and my trips to Africa came to a sudden halt. Now I understand why. God was answering my prayer and I was home for these last six months to see my mother in her last days. I am home to say goodbye to her.
In times like this, it is simply a matter of following one’s priorities. My mother won’t be here much longer, so I choose to spend as many minutes with her as I can. I spend the night on her couch, waiting for her to ring her bell when she needs me. I can’t do that every night, but I want to do it as often as possible until the end. Everything else pales in importance right now and decisions of time and event management are much simpler. I do what I can with my work, but my mother comes first.
A TIME TO LIVE
When you think about it, time management isn’t any different at any other time of life. When faced with tough event management decisions, you go with what is most important to you, things that are consistent with your values. I have no regrets where my mother is concerned. I called her almost every day that I was home and visited her at least every Sunday. I took her on trips and sometimes took her shopping. I used my time to do things with her because she was important to me and now I can look back and be glad.
How about you? Are you happy where you are investing your time? Are you using your time to do things that bring life and cause you to enjoy the opportunities that God has given you? While I was sitting here with my mother today (she sleeps most of the time), I caught up on my next to the last study in my series from the gospel of Matthew. When I finish Matthew next week, I will have completed verse-by-verse studies for twenty books of the New Testament. I estimate I have spent about 1,000 hours on that Bible project in the last seven years, working on it about 20 minutes a day.
So the choice is yours. You can use the time you have to do important things or waste it doing trivial things – or nothing at all. I had promised this week I would include a summary document with all the past Monday Memos that had time as a theme and it is attached below. I’ll have more to say next week but for now, let me urge you to do something this week that will make a difference in your own life according to what matters most. Have a great week!
Nicely said. I think a good question to ask yourself constantly is – “Am I using my time as effectively as I can at the moment”. I think that by constantly asking yourself this question is a good step towards living each day with meaning, purpose and making today count.
Kell
http://www.effective-time-management-strategies.com/personal-time-management.html
Posted by: Kell | October 20, 2008 at 04:50 PM
I do read your emails every week and am so thrilled that God have granted you your heart's desire.
In this time of mourning may He be your strength and peace. praying that mother Stanko family will find comforfort in Christ. Shalom!
Nairobi,Kenya
Posted by: Angelica | October 28, 2008 at 03:17 AM