Why manage time? We all have a choice either to live life aimlessly or live life with a purpose. To lead a life with purpose we need to prioritize and structure our lives. And what is the ultimate purpose in life? I believe the answer is to discover GOD'S plan for our lives and act upon it. And GOD has given us enough time to accomplish HIS purposes in our lives.
Below cited are some techniques to better structure your time, so that you can fulfil your GOD given purposes in your life.
Firstly, fill the following blanks as Julie Morgenstein cites in her book 'Time Management from the Inside Out' which will help you know how you spend your time . I have included sample answers in parenthesis.
I want to become a better time manager because ______________________________________.
(Sample answer: As a result of proper time management, I will be well balanced spiritually and physically. It will help me perform at my peak at all times. I will be able to stay alert at all times at my
work and my studies.)
*EXERCISE 1: what’s working ?
No matter how busy I get, I always find time for_________________________________________.
(sample answer: checking emails, reading professional development material, watching TV and quiet
time)
b: What areas are your goals well defined? ________________________________
( sample answers: My goals are well defined when it comes to my faith and my goal in Christ.
I’m pretty clear on how long it takes me to do my morning chores, do my prayers and fellowship
meetings.
c) What are the areas you never procrastinate? _____________________________________
(Sample answers: I never procrastinate about eating food and paying bills
I am never late for meetings, church, conferences
I have no problem exercising when I have enough time in the morning and when I don’t have to be
somewhere on time following the exercise.
I have no problem tackling difficult projects when I have enough time and motivation, when I take lot
of breaks, and when I see results small or big.)
d) How well do your prioritize? _______________________________________________
(Sample answers: I always build in transition time between weekdays and weekends, work and
home. It’s easy for me to say no to useless work. The kind of work I know won’t help me in my future
or my career.)
Meeting deadlines is easiest for me when I have ample time, break and motivation.
e) When are you the most happiest?
_____________________________________________________
(Sample answers: I am at my happiest when I am balancing my life well. When I can focus my life on
God and can do things like exercise daily, a good and challenging job, keep myself updated on
marketing and career related material, find time for family and friends, producing results in my job
etc. )
*EXERCISE 2: what’s not working?__________________________________________________
(Sample answers: I spend way too much time on non-important things. It doesn’t help me fulfill any of
my goals.
I don’t have well-defined goals for my academics.
One thing I wish I could do every day is work towards my personal and professional goals on a daily
basis.
I always underestimate how long it takes to get my professional goals .
I procrastinate whenever I have to pay attention to something urgent.
I am usually late for bed, exercise.
It’s hard for me to say no to trivial things
I have a hard time finishing what I have started.)
*Exercise 3: YOUR TIME MANAGEMENT PREFERENCES
The majority of the time, I prefer…..
Working independently
Exercising alone
Relaxing alone
Concentrating in short bursts
Multi-tasking
A slow and easy schedule
Plans and predictability
Long lead times
Stewing on things
Working in silence
Bright lighting
Working with my head
*Exercise 4: Identifying your energy cycles and sources
_____________________________________________
(Sample Answers: Mornings are the best time for me to start something new
And the worst time for me to exercise
Afternoons are the best time for me to read journals, do professional development.
And the worst time for me to work on something new.
Evenings are the best time for me to relax, have quiet time with God.
And the worst time for me to ........
Part 2: When my energy is flagging, I can usually recharge by:
Changing activities, stretching, taking a brief break, reviewing my goals, and calling a friend.
Once you have done this part remember to get enough rest if you want to effectively manage your time. Get enough sleep or else you start to accumulate something called Sleep debt. CNN did a whole study on this and you can read the whole article by clicking on the following link http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/HQ/01108.html
We need at least 8 hours of good rest to rejuvenate and start performing in this demanding world.
Draft a personal vision for your life. GOD has a unique purpose for you.
Click on my link which says
Personal Vision to see how you can develop one for your own.
Once you have drafted a vision for your life. Make sure everything you do contributes ultimately to that goal in life.
First of all prioritize things.
Take a piece of paper and list the most important things in life.
For e.g. 1, Spiritual 2, Physical 3. Relationships 4. Personal development & Extra curricular 5. Academic 6. Professional
Major Life Category Big Picture Goal Specific Activities
Spirituality Grow in Christ Daily Prayers
Fellowship
Bible reading
Witnessing
Career Be a expert Analyst Data Mining Text
SAS e-learning
ACCESS
Pricing
Personal Calm, serene and peaceful Relaxation times
Long walks
Sports
Daily chores
Health Lose 20lbs in 3 months Weight Training
Aerobics
Diet control
Knowledge Develop fluency in Hebrew & greek Listen to the tutor CD’s
Converse regularly
Work Bring more results and revenue Analysis, GIS
Strategic Planning
You have 24 hours in a day. If you sleep for 8 hours, you have 16 hours left in a day out of which you spend 8 hours at school or work. So we have 8 hours left. Realistically I would say maybe 6 hours left because lets allocate at least 2 hrs a day for bathing, dressing, make-up for girls and the list goes on. So we are left with 6 hours.
Now this is how I have decided on the remaining 6 hours I have everyday in my life. First thing I want to make sure is that I am spending enough hours towards my main goal in life and that is to be useful for GOD's Kingdom. To discover your unique purpose, as I mentioned above, you need to get a vision from GOD and it requires prayer. Please read the article on Personal Vision from the MAPS link on my webpage.
I usually allocate..
Spiritual life - 2 hrs includes morning and evening Bible studies and other fellowship meetings
or some days it might be fellowship and prayer or other days it will be doing a volunteer work
Physical life - 2 hrs allocated for exercise or sports
Relationships- This should happen throughout the day, but we ought to make sure to spend some
quality time daily with the special people in our lives.
I usually put aside 1 hour daily
Personal development: 1 hour- This varies throughout the week. I pick a spiritual book and read one
or two chapters a week, drum lessons on saturday, learning a new language on Monday, learning a
new work related subject on Tuesday etc.
I keep this cycle going every week except on Sunday which for me is total rest day. I devote
Sunday wholly to the ministry of Lord. Sunday is the day for me to rest from my work and
acknowledge that GOD is good.
My sample schedule
Saturday
7a.m: Rise
8am - 10pm - Prayer and Bible study
10:30-11:30pm - Music Practice
4pm-6pm - Community ministry
7pm-9pm- Prayer and Bible study
Sunday
Corporate worship at church and its an official rest day from work for me. I try to work on my website
or write my journal etc.
Monday
6a.m : Rise
6-6:30: Morning rituals including bathing and getting ready
6:30 am- 6:45 am - Bible Study and prayer
7am - out the door to office
12pm-1pm - Lunch and Bible study
5pm - back home
5:30pm-6pm - Music lessons
6:30pm-8pm- Gym time or personal development time or I try and find time to help out at church or
how I can impact the society in a positive way.
8:30Pm-9:00PM- Bible study and journal writing time
9:30 p.m: Bed.
Tuesday
6a.m : Rise
6-6:30: Morning rituals including bathing and getting ready
6:30 am- 6:45 am - Bible Study and prayer
7am - out the door school or work
12pm-1pm - Fasting and Bible study
5pm - back home
5pm-6pm - relationship building time with your parents or siblings or friends
6pm-8pm- Pastoral Ministry at University
8:30Pm-9:00PM- Bible study and bed
9:30 p.m: Bed.
TRY AND STAY DISCIPLINED TO YOUR SCHEDULE.
Soon enough it will become a habit.
Bibliography
Body by GOD by Dr. Ben Lerner **
Time Management from the inside out by Julie Morgenstein *
Article used with permission from ©Pilgrim’s MAP.
Website: www.pilgrimsmap.com.
Email: admin@pilgrimsmap.com
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