Title
The Unyielding Schedule
Title
297

The Unyielding Schedule

Do you have more to do then you have time to do it?  Have you ever felt like you are spinning your wheels?  Always moving, but never really getting anywhere?

I am often an overly busy person.  I always seem to have more on my daily “to-do” list than I will ever be able to get done.  Often I find myself exhausted, pushed to the limits of my time and energy.  I simply never seem to have the time I need to accomplish all the things that vie for my attention.  Whether it is at work or at home, I always seem to be running behind.

Those are my excuses anyway!   It is so easy for me to blame a lack of time or an overwhelming amount of work for my failures.  If I would be completely honest with myself, I am not too busy, nor do I lack the time required; I am just a poor manager of my time.  I am not very good at choosing to focus on what is truly important.  I often am overwhelmed by what seems to be more urgent.

One of those things that I have put off for far too long is visiting with some of my extended family.  I have lived within a few hours of them for over ten years and have never taken the time to stop by for a visit.  I have just always been too busy.

Finally, I had enough.  This was important, and I needed to treat it as such.  So I decisively implemented a helpful piece of advice that I had been given.  I hope this advice can assist you as well:  Put it on the calendar!

At first, I did not set a specific date and a time.  I just randomly picked a weekend a few months in advance because it looked somewhat “free”.  I moved this appointment around and changed the date and time at least a dozen times, but I refused to take it off the calendar.  I had chosen to make this visit important.  The more I “put off” the appointment, the more important it became.  I finally came to the realization that this is not going to happen until I make it happen!  I chose a final date and said, “No matter what – we are going!”

2016-10-29-13-06-48We had a great visit!  The kids fell in love with their Aunt and Uncle, and we all enjoyed spending some time loving on their great grandfather.  I left that day wondering, “Why didn’t I do this sooner?  Why did it take so long for this to happen?”

I am learning that often in life the urgent will crowd out the important.  As good stewards of the time God has given us, we must learn to keep the important things important.  We must learn to be willing to say no to the urgent things that scream for our time and attention.  Honestly, some things can wait – no matter how urgent they may seem.  And other things should never be put off for long.2016-10-29-14-23-10

I believe that if we could learn how to live our lives focused on the things that truly matter; we would live much simpler and much happier.  We could make wise decisions and be fully at peace with saying no to things that don’t really matter.  Because the truth is:  You will never regret making the time to do what is important.

peace

Do you ever struggle with keeping important things important?  What is the one important thing that always seems to fall through the cracks of your schedule?  What have you started doing to help keep those important things a priority in your life?  Let us know in the comments below:

Sure, you can send this article to anybody you want. And, if you’re REAL awesome, you’ll even tell them where it came from!

4 thoughts on “The Unyielding Schedule”

    1. Yes, placing it on the calendar seems to be just a first step for me. The real impact is made when I personally decide to finally make something important. It is more than finding a good date, it is choosing to make it happen. My guess is that placing it on the calendar is more of a result of an inward choice to make the time for it.

  1. Ok I am jealous – I need to put it in our calendar to make a trip to Florida to see not only y’all but Grandpa, Aunt, and Uncle

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