Sometimes it can feel a little like my schedule has me on a leash, rather than the other way around. During the school year, when asked how we are, how many times could we answer, “Busy”?
But, as I like to be reminded by Peter Scazzero, we’re human beings, not human doings. We are more than what we do, more than our usefulness, like some machine or hired hand.
Christians can find themselves in our own spiritualized version of this, right? Author Matt Perman writes,
Efficiency doesn’t matter if you are doing the wrong things in the first place.
….Efficiency exists so that you can serve others better, not sacrifice them to efficiency. ….True productivity is not first about efficiency–doing things right and doing them quickly–but effectiveness–doing the right things.
….It is easy to unwittingly fall into the trap of basing our day-to-day peace of mind on our productivity…This is a law-based approach to the Christian life. Instead, we are to act from peace, not for peace.*
So sometimes sifting through my schedule “opportunities” also means sifting through what I hope to gain from my commitments–and some falsehoods I might be believing about what I “need” to do. Yes, of course I want to maximize my opportunities to love others (though even that is a pretty American way of saying it!). Sometimes, as my husband has pointed out, all my “yeses” can ultimately mean a lot of “nos” to the people I love most: No, I have no energy to be patient with you. No, I can’t play a board game. No, I don’t have time to talk with you.
So this year I’m attempting to think of my time a bit more like I think of a budget: What are the the things I can’t compromise on? What do I need as an emergency fund, a savings account, or margin? Does this reflect my priorities? Is it generous toward God and others, using my planning to do his work?
Here, some visual thoughts to help streamline our schedules to the wisest ends.
PRINT THIS FREE HERE.
HELP US OUT: Are there questions or principles that guide you as you make commitments with your time?
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- Holiday Rerun: Spiritual Disciplines for Real Families: 10 Practical Ways to Teach Simplicity
- Memos to myself: On the dangers of overcommitment
- The True Cost of Overcommitment
- In Praise of Sabbath: On Letting Go
*What’s Best Next: How the Gospel Transforms the Way You Get Things Done, pp. 49, 122.
