Are you like me who fights every day against the time to try to win a race and who, several times, putting his head on the pillow, feels exhausted by this feeling of having done so much and, looking back, checking so many tasks?Hasn’t it been done or done hastily and carelessly or just feels like you should have done other things or in a better way?
Have you ever wondered why this happens so often or would you be an exception?I believe that in this chaotic world full of surprises, the most varied, good and bad, we must constantly strive to discover new ways to optimize our time, an increasingly scarce valuable asset, in order to reap better results from our actions, seeking to carry out activities and projects with higher quality, however, with this desire to learn to glorify God more in everything we do , enjoying a better life, at home, in our communities and also in our relationships, and for all that, we need time. . Surely you’ve heard or thought about these phrases: “Did I need my day to last about 36 hours?””My life is crazy. ” I’m living on a roller coaster. “I don’t have time for anything. “
- We attribute this talk about the lack of time to our modernity.
- But in reality this marathon is already ancient.
- This topic has been discussed in the Bible itself for a long time; Who doesn’t know the famous text of Ecclesiastes 3 [i] who speaks so well of the right time for each thing?(I strongly recommend that you leave everything you do and read it now.
- Even before you finish this article.
- )famous poets and philosophers who have made statements about time.
The same apostle Paul in Ephesians 5 [ii], especially verses 15-17, leaves us clear guidance on this matter. He speaks to the Ephesians in a context where they should take advantage of the opportunities at that time to share the gospel because they were living difficult days in the Church. He advises them to watch over their testimonies by having good ethical and moral behavior, walking carefully, behaving wisely among non-Christians. This advice is also reinforced in Colossians 4: 5 [iii], which was written around the same time. So, in addition to noting that this was already a concern in the last days, we can apply these words to our modern context, since we are also living in bad and difficult days, and we must also bear a good testimony of Christ. We must behave sensibly, not foolishly, and understand the Lord’s will to make our decisions every day. For this reason, we must learn to save time, to optimize it, to take better advantage of opportunities, to produce the fruits of our actions to obtain good results in everything we do. Following this text, Paul will give advice on how our relationships should be, in marriage, with children, at work, that is, it has to do with different areas of our life. for which we must dedicate time.
So what to do to stop complaining about not having enough time to do the work and activities we need and avoid being constantly stuck in the pit traps and therefore lack of time?How to save time on these bad days in the midst of such a hurry?
While there are different methodologies for managing time and tasks, some ideas can help us do so in a very practical way. The most modern time management experts say that our time is divided into three areas: the areas of importance, urgency and circumstance. As we discuss our commitments and tasks and spread them all on our agenda, whether physical, digital, colorful, paper, or even mental, we must have a clear idea of what each person represents in my life and the time I spend on each other so that I can make decisions about what I will do in my day in a wise and prudent way according to the will of the Lord; Therefore, it is clear that in addition to learning to depend on God to make this selection, I can use this division of the 3 spheres to assess whether I manage my time appropriately and effectively for the primary purpose of understanding my role in the kingdom and glorifying farewell.
These are activities that we do that are relevant in our lives and that produce short-, medium- or long-term results, usually important things have response times, but they are never urgent, that is, there is time for them to run without pressure and on a planned basis. Important activities provide pleasure when performed, most of which are spontaneous, so you can wait until they are finished.
This area covers all activities for which time is too short or has already elapsed, are requests that arrive at the last moment and cannot be foreseen, usually end up bringing pressure, stress and even panic. It is necessary to plan on what is important and before panicking solve the situation in the most practical way possible. Sometimes, just say no or confess a mistake or sin that made us fall into this situation. Please note that many of the activities that are here could have been removed in advance. So always keep an eye out for what’s going on here. Learn from your mistakes and don’t repeat them. Try to be honest and carefully discuss what you might have done to prevent these tasks from accumulating here. will require discipline, but over time we will learn and improve this area every day.
It is important to remember that the factors of time, emergency and stress are directly related.
There are unnecessary, excessive or aimless activities here. These are unnecessary time expenses, such as overtime on the Internet and other activities performed for convenience. This is the area of events that do not bring practical results and lead nowhere. This sphere is quite subtle, because at the same time it is the margin. of the time I have left to do whatever I want, I can be crushed by the situation of others here. This dial is also that of convenience, comfort zone, laziness. This is where time thieves hide and attack all the time. Surprised by a circumstance that was not planned, but if I have time, I can easily solve it What do we do when a visit arrives unannounced?How many important things could I include here to improve my emergency scope?
When analyzing these 3 spheres, we have an indicator of how my personal productivity is, that is, how, where, in what activities I use the hours that God has given me, a triad close to the ideal should present a result close to:
Area of importance: 70%; Emergency sphere: 20%; Circumstantial sphere: 10%.
That is why it is necessary to reflect the percentage of my time in each of these areas and in making this honest assessment, I will know exactly why, sometimes I feel unproductive, disorganized and with that feeling of wasted time. I understand why the way I behaved has often brought me stress and mental confusion that have proven to be the main factors resulting from the lack of time and that can and have affected the health of many of us.
When defining your daily schedule, thinking about saving time, making the right choices based on my primary role in the kingdom of God, selecting your activities with the thought that you eat or drink, or do something else, let us do everything for the glory of God. This includes each of the activities that take place in my time and thus we will have a greater sense of realization and productivity, generating joy and contentment in our hearts, sometimes so distracted and tired by the haste of our modern world.
[i] Ecclesiastes 3,1-8 Everything has its time, and there is time for every purpose under heaven: there is a time to be born and a time to die; the time to plant and the time to collect the planted; the time to kill and the time to heal; time to demolish and time to build; time to cry and time to laugh; time to cry and time to jump for joy; the time to scatter the stones and the time to collect the stones; time for hugs and time to get away from hugs; time to search and time to waste; time to save and time to throw away; tear time and sewing time; time to shut up and time to talk; a time to love and a time to get bored; time of war and time of peace. [ii] Ephesians 5. 15-27 See, therefore, how you walk, not as fools, but as wise and redeeming times, for the days are evil. Therefore, do not become foolish, try to understand what the Lord wants. [iii] Colossses 4. 5 Behave wisely with strangers; Take advantage of opportunities.