More than 300 years ago, François Fénelon, a 17th century cleric, understood how valuable time is. He wrote: "Time is precious, but we do not know yet how precious it really is. We will only know when we are no longer able to take advantage of it."Liberal and generous in every way, God in the wise economy of his providence teaches us how we should be prudent about the proper use of time. He never gives us two moments at the same time. He never gives us a second moment without taking away the first. And he never grants us that second moment without holding the third one in his hand, leaving us completely uncertain as to whether we will have it.

Worldly standards structure time management to maximize tasks completed as they are thrown your way, but God's standard measures the effectiveness of time management by the time spent with GOD and time spent on furthering the kingdom of GOD. Jesus managed His time around two things a) HIS relationship with GOD b) HIS commission of furthering the kingdom of GOD in the hearts of men.

The two Greek words for time in the Bible are: chronos (time that passes) and kairos (the opportune time). As Christians we need to use the time that passes and create the best opportunity out of that time to fulfil our divine mission on earth.

Below cited are some techniques to better structure your time, so that you can fulfil your GOD given purposes in your life.

Firstly, take a sheet of paper and write down fill the following blanks which will help you know how you spend your time . I have included sample answers in parenthesis. 

I want to become a better time manager because ______________________________________.
(Sample answer: As a result of proper time management, I will be well balanced spiritually and physically. It will help me perform at my peak at all times. I will be able to stay alert at all times and be effective in all my endeavors)

Now fill in the blanks to the following questions as we are trying to take an audit of the way you currently spend time.

*EXERCISE 1:

a: what’s working ?
No matter how busy I get, I always find time for_________________________________________. 
(sample answers: checking emails, reading professional development material, watching TV, others )

b: What areas are your goals well defined? ________________________________
( sample answers: My goals are well defined when it comes to my faith and my goal in Christ. I’m pretty clear on how long it takes me to do my morning chores, do my prayers and fellowship meetings. )

c: What are the areas you never procrastinate? _____________________________________
(Sample answers: I never procrastinate about eating food and paying bills
I am never late for meetings, church, conferences
I have no problem exercising when I have enough time in the morning and when I don’t have to be somewhere on time following the exercise.
I have no problem tackling difficult projects when I have enough time and motivation, when I take lot of breaks, and when I see results small or big.)

d) How well do your prioritize? _______________________________________________
(Sample answers: I always build in transition time between weekdays and weekends, work and home. It’s easy for me to say no to useless work. The kind of work I know won’t help me in my future or my career.)

e) When are you the most happiest?
_____________________________________________________
(Sample answers: I am at my happiest when I am balancing my life well; when I can focus my life on God and can do things that keeps my spirit, soul and body in balance. )


*EXERCISE 2:

what’s not working?__________________________________________________
Sample answers:
  • I spend way too much time on non-important things. It doesn’t help me fulfill any of my goals.
  • I don’t have well-defined goals for my academics.
  • One thing I wish I could do every day is work towards my personal and professional goals on a daily basis.
  • I always underestimate how long it takes to get my professional goals.
  • I procrastinate whenever I have to pay attention to something urgent.
  • I am usually late for bed, exercise.
  • It’s hard for me to say no to trivial things
  • I have a hard time finishing what I have started.


*Exercise 3:

YOUR TIME MANAGEMENT PREFERENCES

The majority of the time, I prefer _________________________________________________________

sample answers: (Working independently
Exercising alone
Relaxing alone
Concentrating in short bursts
Multi-tasking
A slow and easy schedule
Plans and predictability
Long lead times
Stewing on things
Working in silence
Bright lighting
Working with my head)


*Exercise 4:

Identifying your energy cycles and sources _____________________________________________

(Sample Answers: Mornings are the best time for me to start something new And the worst time for me to exercise

Afternoons are the best time for me to read journals, do professional development. And the worst time for me to work on something new.

Evenings are the best time for me to relax, have quiet time with God. And the worst time for me to do anything strenuous. )


Part 2: When my energy is flagging, I can usually recharge by:
Changing activities, stretching, taking a brief break, reviewing my goals, and calling a friend.

Once you have done this part remember to get enough rest if you want to effectively manage your time. Get enough sleep or else you start to accumulate something called Sleep debt.

We need at least 8 hours of good rest to rejuvenate and start performing in this demanding world.

Draft a personal vision for your life. GOD has a unique purpose for you.
Click on this link Personal Vision to see how you can develop one for your own.

Once you have drafted a vision for your life. Make sure everything you do contributes ultimately to that goal in life.

First of all prioritize things.
Take a piece of paper and list the most important things in life.

For e.g. 1, Spiritual 2, Physical 3. Relationships 4. Personal development & Extra curricular 5. Academic 6. Professional






























You have 24 hours in a day. If you sleep for 8 hours, you have 16 hours left in a day out of which you spend 8 hours at school or work. So we have 8 hours left. Realistically I would say maybe 6 hours left because lets allocate at least 2 hrs a day for bathing, dressing, make-up for girls and the list goes on. So we are left with 6 hours.

Now this is how I have decided on the remaining 6 hours I have everyday in my life. First thing I want to make sure is that I am spending enough hours towards my main goal in life and that is my relationship with GOD and to fulfill His calling on my life. To discover your unique purpose, as I mentioned above, you need to get a vision from GOD and it requires prayer. Please read the article on Personal Vision from the MAPS link on my webpage.

I usually prioritize in the following manner touching all the 3 areas of my self, Spirit, Soul, and Body. 

  • Spiritual life (SPIRIT) - Rise early, spend 1-2 hours in the morning in prayer and bible study. Similary in the evening, I allocate 1-2 hrs in the Word. In addition to this, I allocate weekends for ministry activities and spending time fellowshipping with saints through worship and prayer.
  • Relationships (SOUL)- This should happen throughout the day, but we ought to make sure to spend some quality time daily with the special people in our lives whether it is your parents, your spouse, your children, your friends etc.
  • Physical life (BODY) - 2 hrs after work allocated daily for exercise.

My sample schedule

Monday
5:30a - Rise
6a - 7p - Prayer and Bible study
7:15a - 8a -Family time which includes prayer, breakfast, getting ready for work.
8:30a- 5p - Office
5:30 pm - 7p - Exercise
7:30p - Dinner
8:30 p.m - Family time
9 pm - Prayer and bible study
10 pm - Bed


Sunday
Corporate worship at church and an official rest day from work for me. I try to work on my website, or write my journal, play tennis or just do something to relax.

Here are a few verses from the bible that will encourage you to be a better time manager...

Prov. 10:4 -- be diligent rather than slack
Eccl. 3:1 -- there is a time and season for everything
Col. 4:5 -- make the most of the time/opportunity
Eph. 5:15-16 -- make the most of the time/opportunity
John 9:4 -- work while it is day; night is coming when no one can work


TRY AND STAY DISCIPLINED TO YOUR SCHEDULE.
Soon enough it will become a habit.


Bibliography

Body by GOD by Dr. Ben Lerner **

Time Management from the inside out by Julie Morgenstein *



Time Management

Why manage time? We all have a choice either to live life aimlessly or live life with a purpose. To lead a life with purpose we need to prioritize and structure our lives. And what is the ultimate purpose in life? I believe the answer is to discover GOD'S plan for our lives and act upon it. Have you been an efficient time manager or have you been squandering your valuable time on trivial things? Are you getting closer to your destiny or moving farther from it? Read on to find our more on some sound techniques on managing your time effectively.
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