Week 8 | Tuesday

Read: James 4:13-15

Do you ever find yourself rushing from one thing to the next, arriving late to events, or simply running out of time to get everything done? If you do, it could be that you’re just not all that great at time management. It could also be that time required to do all the things planned for your day are greater than the time you have available.

If you got to do everything you intended in a week, would it take more than 168 hours? That’s 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Adds up fast. However, something has to give when the time we need is greater than the time we have.

Let’s do some quick math. Sleep eight hours every night, spend 30 minutes at every meal, plan time for cooking, cleaning, and doing other chores. Schedule some family time and/or time with friends. An eight-hour workday or seven-hour school day. Driving time. Homework or helping with homework. Hobbies. Extracurricular activities. Watching TV and/or scrolling social media. Don’t forget your weekend plans. Oh yeah, daily Bible reading, prayer time, and, of course, church!

Try this little exercise: Make a literal list of what you would do in a day if you did everything you intended to do. Next to each task, event, or item, write how much time it would take. (Remember, this is if everything went how you wanted it to, not what actually happens. So, for example, don’t put 0 for lunch if you eat at your desk.)

Add up all the hours. Seriously. Use the space below or grab a piece of paper and do some math. (Don’t worry, you can use a calculator.)

If you’re under 168, congratulations! What should you do with that extra time?

What if it’s more than 168 hours? You have to short-chance something because you cannot add hours to the day. Typically, the first things we sacrifice are the most important but least urgent. Things like Bible reading, prayer, sleep, family time, and taking a break during meals.

What do you cut when you squeeze more than 168 hours of activity into one week? 

When you’re done, talk to God about your schedule.