Maximize Your Day

I am still loving the Bible study book we are doing, “Becoming the Woman God Wants Me To Be.”

This week was on “Management Tools.”

One of the lessons was on maximizing your day. Do you ever have it when at the end of the day, you think – where did this day go? Or, what in the world did I do all day? I know I can feel that way at times because it feels like you are just running from one thing to the next, not even really thinking about what you are doing.

Ever feel that way?

I know over half of you have :).

Yesterday when Dan and I sat down for dinner, I just sat there wondering where the time went – I finally had time to breathe before we had to head off to church for a meeting. I ran in the morning, got my dress fitted for my friend’s wedding (thank you Ann for doing SUCH a good job!), got groceries, canned strawberry jam, cleaned up the house, finished a book that I was needing to finish, talked with our lawyer (baby stuff), and cooked dinner. Not that my schedule yesterday was any busier than anyone else’s – I’m not saying all that to flaunt what I did. I listed all that because I was just going from one thing to another, not thinking about the day.

Well, I had implemented one of the tools that the book had suggested: maximizing each day, but hitting every area of life that you can. Here is what I mean:

They had suggested that you look at your personal vision statement – I know, sounds cheesy and dumb. Trust me, it’s not! It has actually really influenced me. I would recommend thinking about who you want to be, the gifts you have, and how you can use them to glorify God, by creating a vision. I am NO business woman and I feel like vision statements are used in businesses. But creating one really has helped me focus on the important things in life.

If you have an idea of what it might look like, then you need to figure out how you can fulfill it in the various areas of life such as:

Spiritual
Physical
Relational
Personal
Ministry
Financial

Everyday you are to find things that “match” up with the gifts and desires God has given you. For example, here is what I have put for a day:

Spiritual – Spend at least 30 minutes in TAG (time alone with God) – been shooting for 45-1 hour
Physical – Run at least 3-4 miles a day
Relational – Card to someone
Personal – Work on expanding baking/cooking skills
Ministry – Bake food for different groups
Financial – Look at where we are with baby funds

So what I did was start a journal and everyday, I list those six areas and the night before or a few days before, I write down what I want to accomplish. I do have a personal vision statement, but I want to keep that between me and God.

Then below the list, write a to-do section – list all the tasks that need to be accomplished. (If they don’t get done, then move them over to the next day – I’ve already had to do that).

Then below that, list 5 or more things you are grateful for and then a few things to pray for.

I know this sounds so complicated and it seems like it would take so much time. But trust me, it doesn’t. My list above is just an example of what I have done. It is going to look different for everyone. But the reason I share this is that it has really given me perspective into a day.

On Tuesday when I sat down for dinner and wondered where the day went, I realized I had accomplished what I needed to for the day in those six areas (my example is not what I did Tuesday), but I realized I needed to take time to breathe – kind of a key component. That is when I knew I had to take time to be grateful and just BE.

We need to make the most of every opportunity and live life for what truly matters – and that is eternal life. Sometimes I get “stuck” doing something and forget sometimes WHY I am doing it. By filling out this list everyday, it has helped me be purposeful in my living day to day and has helped me give each day to God.

Give it a try. Start slow. Don’t feel like you have to conquer it all at once. There are things I have on my lists that I didn’t get to – I just bump them over to the next day. Don’t get discouraged if you can’t get it all done – this is only a tool to help you to continue to live purposefully.

Enjoy!