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| January 2008 |
| Billie Silvey |
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| Simplifying Your Time |
| Time is one of the many resources given to us by God. He divided day from night, marked the seven days of the week by his creative activities, and the seasons by the rotation of the earth. And as with all resources, he expects us to make good use of it. However, for much of my life, I took this expectation too seriously. I never expected to live very long, and I felt driven, in the words of the poet, to “fill the unforgiving minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run.” I was preoccupied with being occupied, while neglecting much that was more important. My calendar was crammed, and my life lived on the run. As I’ve grown older, I’ve been surprised to hear a few comments I’ve never heard before in regard to myself. “You’re always so calm” took me by surprise when I often feel frantic. And “You’re so patient” referred to a virtue I never identified with. No, I haven’t retired. And I’ve seldom taken more than a week’s vacation. But I scarcely ever miss an appointment--or a deadline. Time is still important to me, but I’ve begun to put it in its place. Think of it as fresh water from the mouth of a river pouring into the vast ocean. I live as a creature with one foot in fresh water, the other in salt; one foot in time, the other in eternity. Consider the words associated with time. There’s temporary, lasting for a limited time, and temporal, “of or relating to time as opposed to eternity.” Our lives are lived both in time and in eternity, both in this present life of hours and weeks and years and in God’s all-encompassing presence and love. This gives our lives a different rhythm from that of the person striving merely for temporal success. Still, most of us have to be at work on time and fill the time while we’re there with productive activities. We still have events in our lives to celebrate and things we want and need to accomplish at home. And we have broader lives in our church community and neighborhood. These demands call us to manage our time wisely and well. Here are a few specific suggestions that work for me: 1. Consolidate all your dates and notes on projects into one calendar for home and work. Carry it back and forth, to meetings, on weekends. I’ve kept a Pocket Day-Timer for years. I keep it in an open side pocket in my purse, and I always buy purses that have that pocket. That way I always have dates, lists, addresses and phone numbers at hand. 2. Set up a sensible filing system that’s easy to access. I add hanging folders and manila file folders to every drawer and file cabinet I use, both at home and at work. They’re cheaper than the colored ones, and I use a lot. But many people love to color coordinate and don’t mind spending the extra money. Throw away files you no longer use to save time and space. 3. Routines are time savers. I can do my morning routine--put away the clean dishes and set the table, check email and weather report, plan my day and write in my journal, get out clothes and shower and dress, pack lunches and leave for work--almost in my sleep. 4. Choose only that technology that saves you time and simplifies your life. I use the microwave, computer, email and phone, but I don’t have a cell phone. Other people will make very different choices. The risk is to think you have to have it all, and the latest model. Weed down to what works. Jesus is our example of simplicity in time use. He never felt frantic, never broke the speed limit, but he accomplished more in a short life than most of us can dream of. Read his life from the book of Mark (it doesn’t take long), and see how he lived a full life on earth while living in the presence of God. |