Managing Time Creates New Limits

Posted on December 5, 2011 by My Berean Life

“Managing your time effectively will aid you in getting things done. However, focusing strictly on time management will allow you to be more efficient only at what you are already doing.”

–Lavaille Lavette, Author of 86400: Manage Your Purpose to Make Every Second of Each Day Count (p. xiii)

Can you count how often you said you “ran out of time” to finish a task?

The Path to Reigning is about putting our purpose in order. And regardless of the recognized season or holiday, our purpose does not take a vacation. The Path is about creating safe boundaries that agree with God’s plan (the Word) to help us navigate toward DOING. It is about eliminating excuses, complexes, and to some degree, logic. On the Path we imitate Christ.

When we decide to organize ourselves, or pursue a goal to completion, one of the first things we do is prioritize. We assess what we must do against what we should do and want to do. Whether in head or on paper, we make that “ordered” list of what may be the best way to get to the end goal. For my part, years ago the motivation for more order inspired the purchase of a Franklin Planner. And because I’m “hard-core,” I even took the class on how to use the planner!

Years later, I realize that the planner and other efforts all help me manage TIME…and that can create more limits. The result? I learn to be great at juggling! Move “this” around to make more TIME for “that.” Make “that” lower on the list so I have more time to do/finish/start/plan “this.” Still, it is somewhat fruitless. Why? Because time itself is limited. Our purpose for order and management is to SEE FREEDOM from the limits that currently restrain us. Contradiction? Hamster wheel activity? Selah. Let me add that a contributing factor to the cycle of idea-plan-share-to lack of follow through is the Franklin Covey concept that URGENT IS THE ENEMY OF THE IMPORTANT.

Example: You are in relationship with someone who is a professional juggler. You could also call him/her a fire fighter. Crisis and “urgency” is his/her normal, and sometimes they draw you into their chaos. And you and I become a heroine, save the day, and earn points for juggling ability. About two weeks later though, you and I have a situation where we need help and we call the fire fighter. It is an important need we have, but we created no urgency around it. You and I are not fire fighters. What happens? The fire fighter does not respond to your need like you responded to hers. It’s not personal; you just didn’t create a fire for her to fight. You and I proceed without help, and figure out a way to meet the need, like we always do.

Cycles like these and other cycles keep us where we are and present real resistance when we push toward goals and dreams. Pause right here please, and reread the opening quote.

Over the next few weeks I want to challenge us to consider the concept of PURPOSE MANAGEMENT. Some quotes and insights will come from the above mentioned resource. Let’s start paying attention today… Is our juggling act so impressive that to stop now makes us nervous? Or, are we content with only our decision to pursue change through order and nothing’s happened yet? How do we prioritize? Do we stop only at “I’m going to do it”? Let’s move forward and look at the impact of time through the EYES of PURPOSE.

I salute you as you pursue God’s order in your life. I congratulate you on your made up mind. Now, let’s go further and explore management of purpose instead of management of time. Stick with me. It’s going to be good!