April 2002 Archives

I'm not forgetting about journaling. I have simply been too busy doing other things that writing on my online journal was counter-productive to what I was wanting to accomplish.

As it stands, I'm trying to prepare for one heckuva weekend bash. Lindsay Sholtess is getting married, so my family is doing a ton of stuff. Mom's making the gorgeous cake, Jen is the maid of honor, I'm singing a solo, a duet, and in an ensemble, we're housing a bunch of people, I have some business I need to close, I need to mow the lawn, and on we go. Thus, don't expect any updates this weekend. :o)

My! What a difference it makes in your life when you plan your day!

I have to tell you about this. Before you go to bed, write out as many things that you can think of that you need to do. Use your Palm, use your day planner. If you don't have either, get one. It's an investment that more than pays for itself.

So, after you're done writing out all of the things you can possibly think of that you need to do, prioritize them in order of importance. Decide, "If I don't accomplish this tomorrow, will the world explode?" Simply decide which is most important and critical. After you're done with that, order your day as such that every 15-minute interval is taken up with something that you have planned. Don't let your day control you; you control your day!

Granted, the biblical response is: "Come now, you who say, 'Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business there and make a profit.'" (James 4:13) When I say, "Control your day!" I mean apply the mindset, "If the Lord wills, I will live and also do this or that." (James 4:15)

What I'm getting at is that I see a great weakness that really the majority of peopel have; they do not manage their time well. Some people can "wing it," but I firmly believe they could be even more effective if they evaluated their time and instead of spendingit, they invested it. Plan your day thinking, "Lord, if this is Your will, this is what I aim to accomplish with my day."

One of the greatest benefits I've experienced in just two days of hardcore day-planning right before I got to bed is this: I can lay my head down on the pillow and not worry about, "D'oh! I need to turn my taxes in!" or other such thoughts. My immediate response is, "I've got two hours dedicated to that task tomorrow," and my mind is instantly at ease. I sleep much better.

"That sounds like a lot of work." All the self-made millionaires that I know (and I personally know several) have approached time management like a maniac. This is just an area of weakness I see in a lot of my friends that I hope they can see is hurting them more than anything, how they don't manage their time well. I spent so many years telling kids, "Do your homework first so you can better enjoy your play time." The same thing goes for adults.

That's all I have to say on the issue. I need to hit the sack, as my day tomorrow is full of potential to accomplish all I believe the Lord wants me to accomplish tomorrow.

I wish I had some time to provide a major update, but I simply don't.

As it stands, I finally finished Advanced Bible Study Methods (yay!). It has been a most rewarding course. I was about halfway through with Psychology when I put it aside to focus on ABSM, so God-willing in two or three weeks I'll be able to write here, "I finished Psychology." Then, it's time to order some new courses.

I talked to Robert Greenlaw yesterday, along with Bob Browder, and it looks like the first weekend in May is going to be the mixing time for the CD. That means we're looking at a June-ish release. There's rumor of a Christmas CD in the works. Keep your eyes peeled. ;o)

Paintball is next Satuday. That should be awesome.

That's enough for today. Need to get back to studying.