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In Ephesians 5:16 the Bible talks about redeeming the time. The word redeem means to buy back, make up for, exchange, save and make amends for. Time is one of our greatest assets. We all have 24 hours each day, but what we do with our times is the determining factor of our success or failure.
Do we make the most of our time and utilize it to invest into our future? Or do we waste our time carelessly because we lack vision and purpose for our lives?
The average person’s lifetime includes twenty years of sleeping, six years of watching television, five years of dressing and shaving, tree years of waiting for others, one year on the telephone, and four months of tying shoes.
How you manage your time equals how you live your life. Without plans, you are easily sidetracked. The object is to plan the important activities on a daily and weekly basis. Do you spend time with people you love and care about? Weed out people who truly waste your time, drag you down, or give you a pain. When times or circumstance change, revise your plans accordingly to fit the new conditions.
Take inventor of the activities you spend your time on. Look to areas that you can cut back on that someone else could do, or that really isn’t that important. Write down your goals to know what is most important to you.
Try to do at least one thing each day towards accomplishing your goals. It could be making a phone call, sending an email, researching information about some schooling you would like to take. What ever it may be, spend your time on the things that mean the most for your life.
Volunteer to do something only after you give up something else. Do not add unless you subtract.
When planning for the upcoming month, season, or year, schedule vacations, family time, and key social events first.
There is no question about it that there are mundane tasks that each of us must do. But there are ways to save and redeem your time.
Here are some ways to do more in less time.
- Do errands together that are in the same location.
- Schedule time for routine tasks, such as laundry, that must be done to keep your life running smoothly.
- Schedule the next appointment before leaving their office.
- Schedule multiple appointments for the same day.
- Buy greeting cards all at one time.
When meeting with busy people, ask for the first appointment of the day. Your chances of having to wait are reduced.
Being a person of vision will aid you in being purposeful in the way you spend your time. When you understand your goals and have a clear vision of where you want to go, it will be easier to make right decisions that lead you closer to your dreams. Knowing what type of future you want and the priorities that are important to you will get rid of boredom and confusion.
Sometimes when I feel bored and not sure what to do with my time, I look at my list. Making a list of all the worthwhile things I can do helps me to know what I can do when I feel bored and aimless.
My list includes; reading, cleaning house, making nutritious meals and freezing them, calling someone to encourage them, writing a letter or sending an email, catch up on sleep, going for a walk or bike ride.
You too can begin today and redeem the time.