The TV series Seinfelt was billed as “a
show about nothing.” Until this morning I feared that this week’s blog would be
one about nothing. I was void of ideas. Ah, but then Seinfelt wasn’t really
about nothing – it portrayed situations that related to most people’s ordinary
lives. So it was that at 05:30 my morning bike partner and I spoke of this
blog. He suggested I write about something that challenges all of us: the wise
management of “the daily 24.”
A common problem in the west is the
average family coming to the end of the month with too many bills and too
little money. As prevalent is coming to the end of the day with too many
outstanding jobs and too few hours. Two elementary ideas saved me from burn-out
in the early years: not every urgent job is really important and the whole of
every job needn’t be done in any given day.
In recent years I have been expanding
the thought of life within the 21 day envelope. Depending on your makeup, your
attitudes to what’s happening right now are influenced by either the past 14
days plus the 7 up ahead or the other way around. If the last fortnight has been
full of calamities and disappointments it could affect your confidence level going
into the next week.
The stewardship of time can help your success
rate. A Bible verse changed my ability to manage dates: “Teach us O Lord to
number our days that we might apply our hearts to wisdom.” The high goal of
your life ought to be gaining wisdom. What that entails is fodder for some
other discussion. Let’s consider the “numbering of days.”
Think with me about 21 days. Of all twenty
one the most important 24 hours is… this day. Of the 21 you can do the least to
change the last 14 – duh! So how about deciding to stop thinking about at least
7 of them? Just work with what has been happening in the last week. Even if it’s
been rough – just think about the most recent troubles. So far so good.
Which way is time going? Certainly not
from the past into the future. Time is like a river flowing towards you from
the years up ahead. Now let’s take the seven days we stole from last week and
place it up ahead. The next 2 weeks can be the most influential factors on how
you will spend today. What has all this to do with “numbering our days?”
On your phone, I-pad, computer or even
in book form; you need a calendar. Get one that allows you enough space to
write something every half hour. A fortnight has 672 slots. Each of those 30
minute periods can be managed. Subtract the amount of sleep you know you need
to function well and you should still have about 550 slots. Now ask an
objective friend to help you list the most important things you want to get
done from now till the end of the year. Succeeding in what’s important has a
price to be paid.
You might have to give up TV. Perhaps
your showers will be much shorter. Now think of the important things as jobs –
jobs that can be broken down into little goals that will add up to the final
accomplishment. Can you discipline yourself to never work on any of those goals
for more than 60 minutes per day? A half
hour of ardent, inspired attention is worth far more than 2 hours of fumbling.
Remember the “river?” What if interruptions occasionally are so
urgent that they rob you of a slot or two. Take that calendar and, at the end
of the day, cast the slot up ahead two or three days. Our best use of time is
just one, worry-free, industriously lived, day that ends with a thankful spirit
and a tired head! Each day has enough troubles of its own. Dividing your tasks
means you work smarter rather than harder.
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