We live in a time of the uninitiated. Far too many people are drifters, floating their way through life. There is an increase in desire, especially for things, notoriety, influence, and prestige. However, those who will commit to the real work of realizing their desires are fewer.
This propensity towards aimless living and being contributes to the escalation of wasting time. People want a top-shelf lifestyle but need to improve at the prospect of working for it in a focused and disciplined manner, and this requirement is what inspired this blog.
Many people have no idea of the necessity of planning and scheduling their time. They undervalue time as they think of it narrowly, affixing minimalistic metrics to it. People tend to believe they have nothing but time and only realize that time is precious when confronting the prospect of running out of it. Those who disrespect time disrespect life and the gift of having it.
This post is written with those unrealistic hopefuls in mind to provide guidance or suggestions regarding the powerful practice of scheduling. If you don’t create and follow a schedule, you probably have very little to inspire you to act daily. So, let’s go over a few things to help you apply yourself to the art of managing life and the time of which it consists.
1. Think of time as life. It’s not just money, as many people put it. Every second is life spent, and time spent can never be recaptured. So, value time as your most precious gift from God each day.
2. You must seek the Lord for “VISION.” Prov. 29:18 says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.” This means people act undisciplined and lack motivation or inspiration to take massive action when they don’t have a clear vision for their future and their life presently. I suggest you get clear on what you really want your life to be like and what you want. Then, you may be more inspired to explore new opportunities or interests, take on new challenges to learn new things, break out of the rut for which you’re settling, etc.
3. Make the practice of creating your schedule a non-negotiable priority. Because time is life, you will carve out time to create your schedule instead of letting life happen. Stephen R Covey says, “Highly effective people schedule their priorities, not prioritize their schedules.” This means you will only schedule the things that align with sustaining yourself and your life and those that perfectly align with your vision. Jim Rohn said, “You can do whatever you want as long as you have enough reasons.” So, find your reasons to embrace a more energetic outlook on life and engage each new day with joy and excitement.
Then, sit down with a calendar and map out your day, week, or month. [Ex. Get out a calendar and mark your work schedule on it. Those are hours you know are already accounted for. Include with your work schedule time for travel to and from work.] Doctors say we should get 7-8 hrs. of sleep per/day. So, mark on your calendar the time for sleep. Then, calculate how many hours you have left of the 24 hrs. you get daily. Schedule the thing or things you want to invest time in with the hours you have left. Even include time to eat, relax, and watch TV, but make sure it all goes on your calendar so you can see where your time is being spent or invested. There is a difference between the two. If you’re spending your time, you should not expect a return on that time lost. This is living as a life force or spiritual consumer. You put out your time, energy, and life without hoping to receive anything long-term. When you invest your time, energy, and life, you can expect returns on that investment because you placed them in things that would bring you a pre-identified return.
4. Create your habit of scheduling your time. I have so many things I’m involved in that I have to be very disciplined with my schedule. If it’s not in my schedule, it isn’t happening in my life. This is how I remain in power, excitement, joy, health, and productivity. If you start with just scheduling each day, that’s a good place to start. If you plan out your week, that’s fine too. The key is to establish discipline and never break it. Therefore, schedule and prioritize the time to create your schedule.
5. Don’t cheat yourself of life-giving moments. We tend to experience these moments as sparks of inspiration or spontaneity. I do not include this to create tension or contradiction, but although you will develop discipline and live by a schedule, remain aware that there will be moments intended to take away your breath in sheer delight. Don’t miss your moments being unreasonably rigid or legalistic about scheduling and discipline. Our schedules are intended to serve us, not the other way around.
Applying these simple steps allows you to enjoy a free and fulfilling life. I pray this helps you live the most incredible life you could ever imagine, a life fit for royalty.
