Time management

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.