Managing Our Time Well
If you don't manage your time well, the world will manage it for you.
Anything that is worth doing will inevitably consume this precious resource that we have so little of: time. Painting a masterpiece requires time. Building a world-changing organization will take time. Raising a close and tight-knit family will need time. Anything you want to do in life that will be "worth its salt" requires precious time for it to happen.
Many things in life don't come easily or speedily. We know this and we accept this fact. But time is one of those things we seem to always be short on these days. We have responsibilities and obligations to fulfill. We have chores and errands to tend to. We have people to meet and events to attend. Some days can be really full from start to finish. And on top of our personal obligations, we also want to have a close and vibrant relationship with Jesus. This kind of relationship with God also takes time to grow and develop. How can we make sure that we have enough time to engage in all of it well?
If we hope to meet all our personal responsibilities and have plenty of time to meet with the Lord in prayer, we will need to learn to manage our limited amount of time properly. Christian monks who live in monasteries find different ways to manage their time well each and every day. This includes adhering to a strict schedule that will help guide their activities for the day. At no point are monks left wondering what they should be doing at a specific time of the day. It's all laid out for them. They've come to the realization that if they don't manage their time well, something else will take over that time. And they may end up not having enough time to engage in the really important things like prayer and meditation.
Although most of us are not called to become monks or nuns in the traditional sense, managing our time well is still important since we live in a fast-paced world. In fact, we might even say that it's more important for us to manage our time well because we have more things that could possibly distract us and derail our attention. We live in a busy world that's full of distractions.
Managing our time well includes knowing what our priorities are and sticking to them. This also means knowing what the time-wasters are and getting rid of them as best as we can. This may also mean creating some sort of a daily schedule or routine that we can adhere to and placing margins in that schedule for unexpected occurrences or emergencies. The point is this: become intentional with using your time by employing strategies that will help you prepare in advance. This will help you meet your personal obligations while having ample time to spend with the Lord in prayer and meditation each day. Because here's the truth: if you don't manage your time well, the world will manage it for you. And unfortunately, the world has a tendency to run you over, if you're not careful.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
