When you fill in your schedule for the week, do you write it in pencil or pen? Whichever one you choose says a lot about how you prioritize your time.
There are some things that are non-negotiable as to when or if they can happen. Your job for example is something you should write in pen. Most of the time you have set hours and there is no way around moving them.
The extra hours you add for dinners with clients and “needing” to work through your lunch or late into the night, these should be penciled in. Many believe part of their jobs include doing these extra things and if they don’t do them they will be looked down upon and overlooked for opportunities because they are not team players.
Engaging in these extra events can be great for your office morale, but if they interfere with other important events you should forgo them. A dinner with colleagues is never more important than an event for one of your children, which will never happen again.
Time for your spouse and children should also be written in pen. Why? If you don’t, by the end of the day you will have no time or energy left to offer them. Over time, this will weaken your relationships and lead you searching for more.
We are taught as Christians to love others and put them above ourselves. It is important to be there for others with our time and other resources, but you can’t fill others from an empty cup.
You must first schedule time with God each day. Write it in pen. It should not be flexible and only done if you have time. Make God first and foremost in your life and He will direct your steps. He will fill you with love, faith, patience, and so many other wonderful things.
It’s important to make time for you as well. Pushing yourself past reasonable limits is exhausting. You will never be able to do everything for everyone—and that’s okay.
When you pen or pencil things into your schedule you will begin to see what you value in your life. This may be eye-opening for you and encourage you to make some life changes. Being so busy, maybe with the wrong priorities, isn’t always what’s best. It’s the quality of things you are filling your life with that matters most—not the quantity.
When you look at your schedule, what do your priorities show you value most?
