TIME MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES "Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Psalm 90:12 (Eccl 3:1-8; 12:11; 1 Cor 7:29-31; Eph 5:15-16; Col 4:5)
Time is the most valuable commodity of all - it is a non-renewable resource. Time is measured in past activities, relationships, achievements and accomplishments - not mere hours, days and years. Time is life - squander time and you squander life.
IDENTIFY TIME WASTERS Television, newspapers, lack of planning, lack of purpose, lack of organisation, not planning ahead, procrastination, telephone interruptions, low priority tasks, unnecessary meetings, unnecessary travel, carelessness, sin. MAKE THE MOST OF YOUR TIME To be effective we need to eliminate less important tasks and concentrate on the most important tasks. Plan your time in accordance with your long term goals and priorities. Do the must do tasks first, not the can do items. Focus on the high priority work. Complete your projects. A half done job is a waste of time, effort and money. Discourage interruptions. (Unless you run a counselling or coffee bar ministry discourage "just thought I'd drop in" uninvited guests and long phone calls at work). Avoid unnecessary meetings (especially committee meetings). Avoid unnecessary travel. Sometimes "the Spirit bade me go" but often we just have itchy feet. Always carry a small Bible and notebook and pen and reading matter with you whenever you travel or need to wait. Redeem the time. Read. Read Newsletters and Magazines from independent Christians rather than Humanist newspapers. Read books rather than watch TV, or surf Facebook. Delegate as much as possible. Recruit volunteers, enlist the inactive, use them or lose them. Do it right the first time. Don't try to re-invent the wheel - Co-operate and communicate. Network. Make check lists and to do lists, prioritise and work through them. "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity because the days are evil." Ephesians 5: 15-16 “Only one life – it will soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Frontline Fellowship P.O. Box 74, Newlands, 7725 Cape Town, South Africa Tel: (021) 689 4480 Fax: (021) 685 5884 Email: admin@frontline.org.za Website: www.frontline.org.za